


The Story of Artemis

by alxxiis



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Action/Adventure, Elder Scrolls - Freeform, Gen, Romance, Skyrim - Freeform, Thieves Guild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2017-12-28 00:32:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 47,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alxxiis/pseuds/alxxiis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>**I believe the time has come to retire Artemis's story. I've reached a point where I cannot even force the muse for this story any longer, which I'm disheartened to admit. That doesn't mean I'm going to completely stop writing fanfiction, and I'll be posting fics for other characters in Skyrim as well as in the Dragon Age universe. I can't promise that none of these fics will feature a different OC with Brynjolf... as sad as that may seem since many people seemed to adore Artemis with him. I'd appreciate the support on my other fics though, so I hope you don't hold my leaving against me and boycott my writings!**</p><p>My name's Artemis. I'm a Nord, but I was born and raised in Cyrodiil. I traveled to Skyrim for personal reasons and now I'm going through one of those corny "who am I, what do I want, how should I do it" journeys. My journey takes me to Riften where I'm taken in by a conniving yet kind thief. Hopefully along the way, I make a coin or two. </p><p>Contains chapters based on the point of view of Brynjolf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Riften,

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also found on my Tumblr page: http://artemisthenord.tumblr.com

I ran as fast as I could, twisting and turning through the streets hoping to lose the guard, but every time I looked back, he was right there behind me. Or maybe it was a different one who noticed me running; I don’t know, they all looked and sounded the same to me. It was pouring out making it a lot harder to turn corners while running, but somehow I was managing to do so and still keep on my feet. That is until I ran around the Bee and Barb, lost my footing, and practically tackled the man standing there.

I jumped back up and turned to run again, but the man whose face I hadn’t seen yet grabbed my arm and started running, pulling me along with him. 

"What in Oblivion are you doing?" I said, trying to pull my arm from his grip.

"Keeping you out of prison," he replied in a low voice. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I believed him.

He led me through the center of Riften, past the market stalls, and down the stairs to the lower deck. “Ew.” The smell of the green, murky water was disgusting.

"Shh," he whispered. He took me to the end of the dock and opened a rusty gate that led to a small niche and a door. "Wait here." 

"Where are you-"

He put his hand over my mouth. “Be quiet,” he hissed. He turned and left me there in a dark, dank, smelly hole in the wall. Some rescue. I don’t even know who this man is or why he is helping me. I was tempted to sit down, but the ground was covered with some slimy shit and I was afraid the guards would show up and I’d have to run again. I opted to lean against the wall instead.

My hood fell down when I ran into the man, so my hair was soaked and I began to smell like wet leather… lovely. I hate that smell. I wonder if that man went and got the guards, maybe that’s why he’s taking so long. Lying bastard. If I found out that he did then I swear I’ll-

"Come on, lass. It’s clear." I didn’t even hear him come back. 

I left the hole and followed him back up the stairs. “Where are we going?” 

"You going to stay the night in the Bee and Barb."

"Wouldn’t it be better for me to just leave Riften? What if the guards decide to look for me in there?" 

"They won’t."

I scoffed, “And you know this because…?”

"Because they’re now looking for a tall, Breton male."

"Why?"

"So many questions, lass. Have a little faith," he said, probably smirking. I still couldn’t see his face.

"Have a little faith? I don’t even know who you are or why you’re helping me." 

"I’ll explain everything tomorrow, or rather, later this morning. We’ll also discuss how you can pay me back for saving your ass."

"You want me to pay for your rescue? I didn’t even ask for your help! And if I had any gold then I wouldn’t have been in this position!" I can’t believe he wants me to pay for him helping me. Again, some rescue.

He chuckled softly. “I don’t want payment in gold. We’ll talk about that later. For now,” he said, opening the door to the inn, “get some rest. I’ll come for you in the morning.” 

He took me up the stairs and into one of the rooms. It had a bed, a dresser, and a little nightstand. It was small, but had a cozy feel to it. Plus, the bed looked very inviting considering the fact that I haven’t slept in one for the past few days.

"What time will you be here?" I waited a few seconds, but there was no answer. I turned and saw I was standing in the doorway alone. I sighed, closed the door, and took off my boots, cloak, and armor and laid them out on the floor so they could dry. I decided to take off my trousers and shirt since they were soaked as well. I walked over to the door and was relieved to see it had a lock. At least he’ll have to knock before he comes and gets me, that gives me a chance to get dressed first. 

I blew out the candle on the nightstand and crawled into bed. The sheets and blanket were a little scratchy, but they were warm. I closed my eyes and sleep quickly took me.


	2. In the Bee and Barb,

I woke up and stretched while scrunching my nose. The whole room smelled like wet leather now and I’m sure I did to. I looked down to where I left my armor and clothes and found they were missing. You’ve got to be kidding me. I stood up and looked in the dresser hoping that maybe I had put them there and just forgot, but it was empty. I turned around and noticed a pile of clothes on the nightstand along with a note.

~I took your armor and clothes to get washed and left you with clean clothes and shoes. I’ll be downstairs at a table waiting for you when you wake up.~

I put the note back down and sighed. He took my armor, he took my clothes, and he broke into my room. I woke up mostly uncovered by the blanket, so he probably saw me half naked too… great. I picked up the clothes and shoes and put them on. They fit perfectly. That’s kind of creepy. My belts had been left on the table next to my clothes and my daggers and bow were still here. I fastened my belts on my hips and shoulder and grabbed my weapons. 

I turned to leave the room, but stopped. Should I go down there? There’s a window in my room; I could just slip out of that. But he has my armor and I couldn’t go out of town in just clothes. Dammit. He took my satchel too that had all of my gold and things I had stolen. I decided I’d go see what he wanted and demand my things back; I could always just run from Riften if things don’t go right, right?

I walked slowly down the stairs and peaked around the corner. There weren’t many people here, but everyone that was here was sitting with at least one other person, except one man. That must be him. I made my way over and sat down across from him.

"Sleep well, lass?" That was the same voice that spoke to me last night. 

"Well enough." I looked at his face for the first time and saw he had deep auburn hair, dark green eyes, and skin just a bit tanner than mine. His nose had the slightest bump and his lips were surround by a light scruff. Actually, he was quite the looker… who saw me half naked. He was a hot guy who saw me half naked. I felt heat rising in my cheeks and knew I was blushing.

"Are you okay?" Yep, I was definitely blushing.

"I’m fine. Though, I’m a little irritated that you snuck into my room and took my stuff. And I still don’t know who you are," I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"My name’s Brynjolf. And your things are being taken care of. You should be thanking me really, after all, I did help you," he said with a slight smirk.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Alright, thank you, Brynjolf. But why did you help me? You don’t even know who am.”

"On the contrary, lass, I’ve been watching you since the day you showed up in Riften." He had a smug look on his face. 

"You can watch someone your entire life and not really know who they are." I should know, I’ve had experience.

"True, but I doubt any observations I’ve made about you are wrong. For instance," he said while resting his chin on his hand. "You’re skilled with a bow, yes?"

I eyed him, wondering why he had watched me and what about me interested him. “Yes.”

"You’re quite the little spitfire."

I shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a very calm and collected person.”

He smiled, “Says the woman who punched a man in the face because he was flirting with her.”

"He wasn’t flirting! He was making obscene comments about what he wanted to do to me. Most of them included shackles and leather straps."

He ignored me. “You know the art of larceny rather well.”

Shit. Looks like I have to leave Riften now. I thought I was doing a good job with making sure no one knew what I was doing. Shows what I know. Still, I shouldn’t just blatantly admit to Brynjolf that I’ve been breaking into people’s houses and all that. “Now I really have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, hoping I looked slightly offended that he would accuse me of thievery; from the amused expression on his face, I’m guessing I didn’t.

"You’re a very good liar, Artemis." Great, he already knew my name. "I’d believe you if I didn’t know better."

"And what makes you think I’m a thief?"

"Other than the fact that I saw what was in your satchel and that you were running from the guards?" I’m an idiot, I hadn’t thought about that. "It’s alright. I’m not going to turn you in, lass."

"Really… and why should I believe you? You have the evidence and the guards already know who I am."

"No, they don’t. Like I told you last night, they’re looking for a tall Breton male. You’re not a Breton and you’re not a man, are you?"

"Last time I checked, no. But it makes no sense that they would look for a Breton man."

"The guards in Riften are not the brightest. When I went back to the market stalls last night, a few past by me and asked if I saw someone run this way. I told them I did and that it was a tall Breton man," he said, looking quite pleased with himself.

"And they believed you?"

"Again, the guards aren’t bright. Also, they never saw your face. They just saw someone with a hooded cloak running through Riften. They have no reason not to believe me."

"Huh. That makes sense, I guess." I never thought about the fact that the guards never actually saw my face or anything. But, again with the question of why he helped me. "So, you helped me lose the guards and you’ve gotten them looking for someone other than me, right?"

He nodded. “That’s right.”

"Why? What’s in it for you? You told me I had to pay you for helping me, but you’ve yet to tell me how."

"Don’t look so grim, lass. This will be a great opportunity for both of us."


	3. In the Market,

"So, all you want me to do is steal a ring from Madesi and then plant it on Brand-Shei? That’s it?" I asked leaning against the wall outside the Bee and Barb.

Brynjolf stood in front of me with his arms crossed. “This isn’t some random thing I’ve come up with for you, lass. A client actually asked for this.”

The dark-elf seemed nice when I met him and he always asked for a fair price when I bought from him. “Why? What has Brand-Shei done?”

Brynjolf smirked. “Let’s just say he’s been putting his nose in business that’s not his. We’re doing this to ensure he’s locked up for a while,” he said. He looked back at the market stall then at me. “I’ll set up a distraction and will keep it going long enough for you to do this. Ready?”

I nodded and pushed myself off the wall. Brynjolf walked over to his stall and held up a bottle of some red liquid he called “Falmer Blood Elixir.” I doubt it was anything more than dyed water, but people were flocking to him. People in this town really are stupid.

When everyone who was close enough to notice was over by Brynjolf, I snuck behind Madesi’s stall and sighed when I saw the bottom was locked. I was hoping he’d been lazy and left it open; nothing is ever easy for me. I took out my lock picks and got it open, at least it wasn’t a complicated lock. His strongbox was locked too. If one’s locked, then what’s the point in locking the other? Damn Argonian. This lock was a little harder, but I got it open quickly. There was some gold here and a couple tempting jewels, but left them alone and just took the ring. 

Everyone was still watching and listening to Brynjolf. What was it that kept them there? His voice, maybe? I listened to what he was saying and couldn’t believe it, “Great wealth, granted wishes, love-making like a saber cat, limitless power, everlasting life,” it was all obviously bull shit, but people were still there interested. Except Madesi, he kept making comments about it being fake. At least there was one person- or lizard- who had some common sense. 

I shook my head and walked next to Brand-Shei’s stall, when I was sure no one was watching, I ducked down and snuck over behind the boxes Brand-Shei was sitting on. I opened his pocket just a tiny bit and dropped the silver ring inside. I looked around again just to make sure, and stood up. I walked into the crowd of people and stood there with my hands in my pockets. Brynjolf noticed me and moved his head up a tiny bit. I think he was asking if I was done so i gave him a slight smile.

"Alright, I believe my time is up." He said, putting the bottle down. "Come back tomorrow if you wish to buy." 

The crowd dispersed and I walked up to Brynjolf. I had a smile on my face and was stifling a laugh.

"Was it that fun, lass?"

I shook my head. “People actually buy into that. I can’t believe it. Your claims were ridiculous.” He ignored me and looked over at Madesi. “So, how do we get Madesi to noti-“

"My ring! It’s gone!" the Argonian shouted.

"Well, that part’s taken care of, but what about Brand-Shei being accuse-"

"Brand-Shei," a guard said, "turn out your pockets. We know you have it."

"Have what? What in blazes are you talking about?" Brand-Shei responded, confusion written all over his face.

The guard crossed his arms. “Don’t play stupid. I said turn out your pockets. Now.”

"I’m telling you, I don’t have anything. My pockets are empty!" the dark elf responded, getting irritated. "You want me to prove it?" He reached into his left pocket and turned it out, it was empty. He did the same with his right and stopped. Brand-Shei furrowed his eye brows and pulled his hand out slowly, revealing the silver ring. "What’s this? This isn’t mine!" 

"That’s right, it isn’t yours," the guard said mockingly. "You’re under arrest, Brand-Shei.

Brand-Shei shook his head and continued arguing. I turned back to Brynjolf confused. “How’d the guard know to check Brand-Shei?”

Brynjolf chuckled. “You think all the guards are just guards?”

"There are members of the Thieves Guild that are guards?" 

He smirked at me. “You catch on quick, lass,” he said sarcastically. 

I glared at him which only made his smirk grow. I rolled my eyes. “So, what now? I did exactly what you wanted without getting caught or screwing up.”

"Aye, you did, which is surprising."

"Now, why didn’t you tell me you were going to be an ass before you asked me to join? I might’ve made a different decision had I known."

He shook his head. “Don’t be so easily insulted, Artemis.” I hate to admit it since I know this guy’s going to be a pain, but I kind of like the way he says my name. “It’s surprising that our plan went off without a hitch because we’ve been having a run of bad luck.” He shrugged. “But I have a feeling that’s going to change soon.”

I looked at him questioningly, but didn’t ask him to elaborate. “So, where do we go from here?”

Brynjolf’s smirk turned into a sympathetic smile, putting me on my guard. “You are going to the Ratway.”


	4. In the Ratway,

I hate the Ratway and I’ve only just opened the door leading to it. It smells like ass mixed with mildew. I closed the door and it became pitch black in here. I don’t dare light a torch because I don’t know who or what is in here, and from what Brynjolf told me, I need to be ready to fight and I can do that best when I’m not seen. I pulled my bow from my back and slowly made my way down the short hall. At the end, there was light and before I could reach it, I heard two voices. 

"I don’t know, Drahff," a burly voice said. "They’d skin us alive if they knew we were doin’ this."

A softer voice responded. “Why are you always acting like such a big baby? I’ve gotten us this far.” 

I moved closer and was able to see the left shoulder of one of the men. I pulled an arrow from my quiver and nocked it to the bow string. I pulled it back ready to fire. “This far? We’re livin’ in a sewer! You said we’d have a house as big as the Black Briars by now.”

I let the arrow fly, piercing the man’s shoulder. He cried out in pain and turned around. He still couldn’t see me and before he could pull his sword out of his sheathe, I put another arrow into his neck. He fell to the ground just as the other man had walked into my view. His mistake. I shot him in the neck too and watched him fall on top of the first man. I walked over to the bodies and searched their pockets. They had a few coins on them and one had some arrows, they were cheap steel arrows but I couldn’t afford to be picky. I put them into my quiver and along with the three I used to kill them.

I left them there feeling a little guilty. They were probably just looking to make some money and be able to take care of themselves, just like me, right? They weren’t being very careful about what they were saying though, I mean they were pretty close to the door leading back out to Riften. Idiots. Oh well, I guess. There’s nothing that can be done now.

I walked away from the bodies and noticed that the bridge leading to the other side was drawn up. Damn. How am I supposed to get across? The only other way to go is down and I really don’t like the look of it down there. Plus, it looks like there’s a skeever or something crawling around which means there’s more close by. No, I’m not jumping down. Maybe this is part of my test. Maybe Brynjolf’s expecting me to jump down and find a completely different way to get to the Ragged Flagon by going through the entire Ratway. That’s not happening.

I put my bow back on my belt across my back and took a deep breath. I only have one shot at this. I pulled out my dagger and took a couple steps back. I drew in one more breath, then I ran forward and jumped. I drove my dagger into the bridge and grabbed one of the boards with a gap in it with my other hand. I noticed that none of the boards of the bridge were held close together and that there was enough room to fit my fingers in between them. I put my dagger back in my belt and slowly made my way to the other side of the bridge. I doubt Brynjolf was expecting that. 

I saw a lever on the wall and figured that it was for the bridge. I pulled it and sure enough, the bridge went down. I smiled, feeling a bit proud for having managed making it across. I turned around and walked into a room filled with more light. There was a table that was cluttered with various things, a couple of halls leading to probably more skeevers, and a Khajiit who was coming towards me with a knife. 

I pulled my dagger back out and ducked my head to avoid the knife coming at me. I threw a punch that landed right in his nose, or snout, or whatever, and kicked him in his stomach. He staggered back and I ran toward him, holding my dagger out. He didn’t seem to notice that I was right in front of him until my dagger was being driven into his chest. He collapsed and fell to the ground, but not before his claws came up and scratched my neck.

"Shit," I said reaching for the wound. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered in blood. I sighed and winced, the pain was starting to set in. I turned to the door that had a symbol next to it. It was a diamond shape with a circle inside. This must be the place, I mean usually only important places get fancy symbols, I think.

I pushed open the door which led to a large dome-shaped room with a large pool of water in the middle. I saw a couple of people who were all facing a bar of sorts and I heard them speaking. I couldn’t make out what they were saying so I decided to get closer. I still wasn’t sure if I was in the right place so I crouched and tried to stay as quiet as I could. As I got closer I make out the words.

"Those days are over."

Then a voice I recognized. “I’m telling you, this one is different.” I stopped and hid so I could hear the rest of the conversation.

"We’ve all heard that one before, Bryn," a third voice said. "Quit kidding yourself."

The first voice spoke again. “It’s time to face the truth, old friend. You, Vex, Mercer, you’re all part of a dying breed.” That sounded cheery. “Things are changing.”

I leaned towards the voices so I could just barely see Brynjolf. He was shaking his head. “You’re wrong, Vekel. This one could be just what the Guild needs. In fact, I’m sure of it.” 

I decided that now was probably a good time to make myself known. I stood up and walked over to where Brynjolf was standing. “Well, I didn’t die.”

He turned around and smiled. “I see that. Well done, lass. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d see you again.”

I smiled back. “Have some faith, Brynjolf,” I said, repeating what he told me the other day. “Getting here was easy.”

"Really?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. "Those scratches say otherwise." He pointed at my neck. 

"That actually happened right outside the door here. I don’t suppose you have something I can hold on it."

"As a matter of fact, I do." He reached into his pocket and handed me a small wash cloth.

I took it. “This is clean, right? I’m not going to get some infection from this?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, it’s clean.” He looked at my neck. “Actually, let’s get this cleaned off a bit. Those scratches look deep.”

He grabbed a mug and took the wash cloth from me. “You’re going to use ale to clean it?” I asked, giving him a look that said “Are you stupid?”

He ignored me and poured whatever was in the mug onto the wash cloth and held it over my shoulder. “How bad does it hurt?”

I shrugged. “Not too bad.”

"Well," he said apologetically, "this will probably hurt more. I promise I’ll be gentle." He softly grazed my neck with the cloth and it stung pretty bad. I instinctively flinched away. "Don’t move or you’re going to make it worse." He wiped the cloth on my neck again and it hurt…again…but this time I stood still, which was hard since everything in me was shouting "move away from the source of pain."

"There," he said, after what seemed like hours. "Hopefully, it’ll heal quickly, but you’ll probably have scars."

I shrugged. “That’s nothing new.” I had many scars, but the most noticeable one was right on my face. My hand naturally went up to touch it; it went from just above my left eyebrow, down my eye, to the top of my cheekbone. The scar is a horrible reminder of my past that I have to face everyday. 

"Lass?" Brynjolf was watching me with a confused look on his face. I must’ve started staring off and missed whatever it was he said. "I asked if you’re ready for your next assignment."

I sighed. “I helped with your scheme in the market, I made it through the Ratway, and now you’re going to send me out for something else? You haven’t even told me if I’m an ‘official’ member yet,” I said crossing my arms.

"Oh yes, Brynjolf. She seems like just what we need." I turned around and glared at the woman who spoke. She was a little shorter than me and had a similar shade of blonde as me. She glared back at me.

"Vex," Brynjolf said. "That isn’t for you to decide." He turned back to me and smiled. "I think this next job will be easy for you. You’ll probably find it fun."


	5. In the Ragged Flagon,

That was way too easy. All I had to do was threaten people to get the money they owe the Guild. Why hasn’t Brynjolf given me something challenging? And why did he think I’d have fun with it? 

I walked back through the Ratway and opened the door to the Ragged Flagon. Brynjolf was sitting down across Vex. I stood behind him and dropped the three coin purses in front of him. 

"That was fast, lass." He looked up at me, impressed. He opened the coin purses and counted the gold. "And it’s all in here too. Nice job."

"Now what? Are you going to send me on another trip somewhere and have me do some more mindless tasks?" I asked, crossing me arms. 

He shook his head, either out of exasperation or he just meant no. I wasn’t sure. “Now you’re going to meet Mercer, the Guild Master.”

He stood up and motioned for me to follow him. He opened a cabinet which led to a short hall with a door at the end. Behind the door was a huge cistern that only had a little water in the middle underneath a circle with a couple of small bridges coming off of it. There were a few people here and there that were chatting with one another. “This is the Cistern,” Brynjolf said holding his arm out. They’re not very creative with the names. There was a desk at one end with a man standing behind it.

He looked up at us and met us in the middle of the room. He was an older man, certainly older than me, with gray hair and dark eyes. “So, Brynjolf, this is your latest recruit?” He looked me up and down and curled his lip. “This better not be another waste of the Guild’s resources.”

I glared at him. Why is Brynjolf the only one who’s been remotely nice to me? Brynjolf responded back and the two of them carried on a little conversation that I ignored. I dazed off and looked around the room. 

"Do I make myself clear?" Mercer said sharply. He was looking at me, or rather, scowling at me. 

"Uh, yes, understood." I mumbled back. I don’t what he had said to me beforehand, but I’m pretty sure he knew I hadn’t been listening.

"Good. Then I think it’s time to put your expertise to the test. You’re going to Goldenglow," he said with his arms crossed. His scowl never left his face.

"Goldenglow?" Brynjolf asked. I turned to him, he had a worried look on his face. "You’re sending her there? Even our little Vex couldn’t get in."

"You claim this recruit has an aptitude for our line of work." He looked at me from the corner of his eye and muttered ominously, "Let her prove it." He looked back at Brynjolf. "Fill her in with the details. Oh, and welcome to the Thieves Guild," he said with no welcome in his voice. He turned and walked back to his desk. 

I turned to Brynjolf who was shaking his head. “I’d say congratulations, but you’ve got your work cut out for you, lass.”

Finally, something challenging. If I manage to do this then maybe I’ll earn some respect around here. Plus, if I do it, then I’ll have succeeded where Vex failed and that in it of itself is a reward. “So, what’s Goldenglow?”

"It’s a bee farm."

I groaned. “I hate bees. What’s so important about a bee farm?”

He went on to explain how it’s important to a client and how it provides honey for their mead and how the owner has shut the Guild out and what not. “We need you to get in there and burn down some of the hives. Three should suffice. You also need to clear out the safe in the main house.”

"Why not just burn the whole place down? I think that’d send a pretty good message."

He shook his head again. He seems to do that a lot, maybe it’s just because of me. “If you do that, then Maven would have your head.”

"That’s the client? Maven Black-Briar?"

"The Black-Briars have always been allied with the Guild," he replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "Along with not leveling the whole place, Maven also prefers to keep Aringoth, the owner, alive. If he gets in your way, however, then kill him."

I still don’t see how this is difficult. “Why was this so hard for Vex?”

"Because the whole estate is crawling with mercenaries."

Great. “Alright. I guess I should probably head out now while it’s still dark.”

"Before you go, talk to Tonilia. She has your Guild armor. And talk to Vex before you go and ask her about any advice she might have about Goldenglow." 

I groaned again. Vex wasn’t exactly friendly when she first saw me, why would she help me now? And… wait a minute. “How did you get my measurements? You know what, no. I don’t want to know.” I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm.

"Be careful out there, Artemis." His dark green worried eyes made me worry. Was I in that much danger? "I won’t be there to save you this time. And those mercenaries don’t take prisoners." 

I nodded and walked back to the Ragged Flagon. I had no idea who Tonilia was, but my guess was that she was the only woman in the Flagon besides Vex. I walked up to her and before I could even mutter a word, she began to speak.

"So, you’re the new recruit, eh?" she said with one eyebrow raised. 

"Yep. I’m Artemis."

"Well, Artemis, it seems you and I are going to have to get well acquainted."

I was worried that she might be coming on to me, so I asked, “And uh, why is that?”

"Because I’m the fence down here." That makes so much more sense. "If you happen across anything you don’t exactly own, then I’ll pay you some gold for it. Minus a little slice for the Guild, of course." Of course.

"That’s actually pretty helpful because I’ve been wandering around carrying some things that I ‘found’ and I don’t know what to do with them. Brynjolf also said you had some armor for me."

She picked up the armor that was sitting on a barrel next to her and handed it to me. “Here you go. Try to put it to good use. Oh, and there’s a way out through the Cistern. That way you don’t have to trek through the Ratway again.”

I looked at the armor and was pretty happy. It was certainly better than my pathetic leather armor that I patched together, plus this was enchanted. “Thanks.” I turned to go back to the Cistern, but I took about two steps before Vex stopped me.

"Before you go to Goldenglow, I want to make two things perfectly clear." She looked angry. "One, I’m the best infiltrator this rathole Guild’s got, so if you think you’re here to replace me, you’re dead wrong."

I rolled my eyes. “Vex, I’m only here for one thing, and that’s to make some coin. If I happen to do something better than someone else, then that’s how it is,” I replied shrugging my shoulders. “What’s your second thing?”

If looks could kill, I’d be dead ten times over. She continued on anyway, but it was easy to tell she was pissed. “Two, you follow my lead and do exactly what I say. No questions, no excuses.”

"Of course, Vex. I wouldn’t think of doing otherwise."

"Good," she retorted. "Then we understand each other." 

"Speaking of infiltrating, I have to get into Goldenglow and I heard you ran into a bit of trouble there," I said, hoping I sounded genuinely interested.

"Hmph, yeah I did." She shook her head. "That wood elf’s wit… he’s a lot smarter than I expected. That damn fetcher had more than tripled the guard."

"Got any advice on how to get in there?"

"Well, there’s an old sewer tunnel that dumps into the lake on the northwest side of the island. That’s how I slipped in there. Should still be unguarded." Really, what is it with these people and sewers? 

"Alright," I muttered. "Thanks for the tip." I turned and left the Flagon. So, I’ve got to go through a nasty sewer, get past a bunch of mercenaries, break into a safe, burn only three bee hives, and make sure the fire doesn’t spread. Sounds easy enough.


	6. Back in the Cistern,

"Here," I said, handing Brynjolf the coin and the Goldenglow bill of sale. "This was what I found in the vault that I had break into because the stupid elf wouldn’t give me his key."

Brynjolf raised an eyebrow. “Did you kill him?” he asked while taking the gold and paper from me.

"No, I just knocked him out. You said Maven wanted him alive still." I shrugged while I took off the top layers of my armor. The armor Tonilia gave me was very comfortable and easy to move in, but the loose shirt and trousers I wore underneath were better. "I try to follow the rules as much as I can."

He smiled. I was beginning to really like that smile. He looked down at the bill of sale and frowned. “Aringoth sold Goldenglow? What was the elf thinking?”

"I have no idea. I sure wouldn’t want to risk pissing off Maven by selling something vital to her mead." Maven was the power in Riften, even if the jarl didn’t want to admit it, and if you tried crossing her you’d be dead. "Who bought Goldenglow?"

Brynjolf shook his head. “I don’t know. All that’s here is some symbol.” He turned the paper so I could see. “Any clue as to what it is?”

"Not a one." I walked to my bed and put my armor down on it. I went back over to where Brynjolf was and look at the paper, studying it closer, it was a small picture of a dagger with a dark circle behind it. I’ve never seen it before. I glanced at the rest of the paper. "Who’s Gulum-Ei?" 

He turned the paper back to him and read it again. “I don’t know,” he repeated. “I’ll have Mercer take a look at it and see if he can figure it out. He looked back up at me and smiled again. “In the meantime, lass, you’re going to have to tell me how you did what Vex could not.”

He led me into the Ragged Flagon and got me a bottle of mead. We sat at the table drinking and talking about the job. By the time I had finished, his eyes were wide with admiration. “I’m impressed, lass. You’re turning out to be quiet the prize, you know.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

He smiled back at me. “I think that’s the most genuine thing you’ve said to me since we met.”

"I said thank you for saving me from those guards," I said, crossing my arms.

He shook his head. “Doesn’t count.”

"Why?"

"Because you were rolling your eyes, lass. There was a heavy sarcastic tone to your voice as well."

"I think that was deserved considering the fact that you were stalking me for the past week or so," I retorted. 

He rolled his eyes and shook his head again. “It wasn’t stalking, it was observing. Speaking of observing, Vex’s got a job for you in Solitude and I’m going with you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why?”

He smirked. “Because I want to observe you.”

"Why?"

"You ask ‘why’ a lot. Why don’t you just nod your head and say ‘ok’?"

I shrugged. “I like knowing things.”

He chuckled. “I do too. I think I’d like to know more about you.”

"Why?"

"Artemis," he sighed, exasperated. "Now you’re doing it on purpose."

I felt a smile tugging my lips; I wasn’t sure if it was because I enjoyed annoying Brynjolf, or if it was because I liked the way he said my name. I shook my head and focused back on what he said. “There’s nothing interesting to know. I like shooting and stealing things. There’s not much else.”

He leaned forward pushing the candle from the center of the table to get a clear view of me. “I think there’s more. Much more.”

I instinctively sat back. “There is nothing else,” I said with warning in my voice. I had decided not to reveal my past to anyone once I came to Skyrim; that wasn’t going to change.

He intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them and stared at me. His penetrating gaze made me feel exposed, like he could see everything inside me. I didn’t like it, I felt vulnerable. After several long moments of silence, he finally spoke. “How did you become such a skilled thief and archer?”

I shrugged. “Natural talent, I guess.”

He narrowed his eyes and sat back up. “Fine, don’t tell me.” In the short time I had known Brynjolf, he had already learned I was stubborn. He looked, not exactly angry, but frustrated and slightly insulted that I wouldn’t tell him. 

I sighed and pushed my seat back. “Look, I don’t go prodding into your life, so I don’t expect you to in mine.” I didn’t realize how vicious I sounded until I glanced over at Tonilia who was looking at me with her eyebrows raised. I looked back at Brynjolf who wore a look of confusion and something else, something I didn’t know. “I’m sorry, but my past is my past and that’s where it’ll stay. I don’t think about it now and it’s easier to just not speak of it.” I stopped, waiting to see if Brynjolf would understand.

He didn’t say anything, but his face softened. He gave me an apologetic smile. “Alright, I won’t ask anymore questions until you’re ready to tell me.” I opened my mouth to interrupt and say that I never would, but he held up his hand and spoke before I could. “You should go to bed, lass. You’ve had a hard day and you’ll need your rest because we’re leaving for Solitude tomorrow.”

"But I’m not tired."

He stood and walked over behind my chair. He put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. I could feel its warmth through my shirt. “Good night, Artemis.”


	7. Camping,

We stopped when it was getting too hard to see where we were going. The trip so far had been pretty uneventful. We did, however, run into a family of saber cats and I kind of felt bad killing the cubs. Brynjolf tried to console me by telling me that the cubs would’ve grown to be vicious animals that’ll kill any traveler they find; it helped a little. 

I set up my tent and laid out my bedroll, by the time I was finished, Brynjolf had set up his own and started a fire. I sat down, grateful for the fire’s warmth. He sat down next to me and held a green apple in his hand.

"Hungry, lass?"

"Thanks." I took it and bit into it. 

"So," he said while staring at the fire, "is there anything about yourself that you’ll tell me?"

I frowned. “I thought you weren’t going to ask.”

"I said I wouldn’t ask about your past," he explained, "and I didn’t. I want to know about you now, in this moment."

I looked at him confused. “What exactly do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Anything, everything. What are you favorite things? What are your hobbies? Do you sing or dance? Are you good at cooking?”

I continued to look at him confused. “Why do you want to know?”

"You’re really going to start with the ‘why’ thing again?"

"I’m being serious."

He shrugged again. “I just want to know more about you, Artemis. Is that so bad?”

I’ll admit, I liked him wanting to know more about me, even if I didn’t like talking about myself. I tore my eyes from him and looked up at the little sparks that flew into the night sky. What do I say? I feel like I know nothing about myself. “Ask me questions. I can’t just think of answers out of thin air.”

He laid down on his back and put his hands behind his head. “Alright. What’s your favorite color?”

Such a simple question, yet it felt so personal coming from Brynjolf. “Green.”

"What’s your favorite food?"

"Sweetrolls."

"Got a bit of a sweet tooth?"

I shrugged. “If I’m in the mood.” I laid down next to him.

"What do you like to do for fun?"

"Steal things," I said with a smile on my face.

He chuckled. “That’s your job, it doesn’t count. What do you do when you’re not stealing things?”

I thought for a moment. Since arriving in Riften, it seems like that’s all I do. That’s what I was doing when he and I first met. “That’s all I’ve been doing lately.”

"What about before you joined the Guild?"

Before I joined the Guild… oh, I know something. But, no, it’s stupid. I shook my head and smiled.

"What?" he asked. I didn’t even realize he had been looking at me.

I shook my head again. “No, it’s silly.”

"Oh, come on. I doubt it’s that bad, Artemis." He was calling me ‘Artemis’ more than he was ‘lass’. That was odd.

I sighed. “Fine. I like to climb trees. I used to when I was a little kid. It kind of brings me back to that.” I waited for a laugh, but none came. I peaked over at Brynjolf who was smiling. “What?”

"That’s not silly." His dark green eyes were twinkling. He had an idea, and I’d bet it was one that involved competition. "Race you to the top of that tree?" He pointed at a tall thick oak tree.

I sat up and he followed. “I don’t know… I haven’t done it in a while.”

"Scared?" he asked tauntingly. 

I can’t abandon my pride. “Let’s go.”

We walked over to the tree and each grabbed onto a branch. “Ready?” he asked.

"Go!" I shouted as I jumped, getting a footing on the branch that had been in my hand. I leapt to the next one, then the next, laughing the entire time, until I got as high as the branches would allow. I looked down to see Brynjolf hadn’t even gotten on the first branch. He was standing there with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "Why didn’t you-?"

"I wanted to watch." He grabbed onto the branch again, only this time he actually climbed up the tree. He stopped when he was level with me. "You’re fast, Artemis."

I smiled despite the fact that was kind of pissed for him making me do this, even if it was fun. “Race you down?”

He sat there for a minute, just looking at me, then suddenly yelled, “Go!” He was already two branches down before I realized what he said.

By the time I got down to the third branch, he was standing on the ground with his hands on his hips, looking smug. “I thought you’d be faster than that, Artemis,” he teased.

I hopped down a branch. “You cheated!”

"Did not."

I went to jump down to the last one, but I suddenly lost my footing and fell. I closed my eyes knowing this was going to hurt, I had fallen off plenty of trees to know.

I landed on something, but it wasn’t the ground. I opened my eyes and found myself in Brynjolf’s arms. I looked at him, my eyes wide with surprise. He put me down, but didn’t let go. Our eyes were locked and I stopped breathing. I could hear my heart beating in my ears and was sure he could hear it too. His eyes flickered down to my lips then back up to my eyes. 

He dropped his arms and smirked. “You should be more careful, lass.” His voice wavered just a tiny bit.

I smiled shyly and felt myself blushing. “It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t cheated,” I replied, hoping to distract myself from what just happened. I wonder if it had the same effect on him. No, stop. Stop thinking about it. 

He shook his head, still smirking. “I didn’t cheat. You’re just a sore loser.”

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the fire to sit down. He sat down next to me, and I was suddenly aware of everything about him. The way the fire lit up his features, the way the flames reflected in his dark green eyes, the way his auburn hair shined slightly, the way he smelled like the woods. 

I hadn’t realized I’d been staring at him until he said my name. “What?”

He leaned towards me and lightly tugged a strand of hair that fell from my bun. “Why don’t you ever wear your hair down? I’ve only ever seen it up.”

I looked at him, surprised. I never expected him to talk about my hair. It was something so little and seemingly meaningless, but there was genuine question in his voice. “It would just get in the way. I’ve had no reason to wear it down.”

"Can I see it down?"

This was so strange. First, he asked questions about me, then he held me in his arms, and now he’s asking about my hair? “I, uh, guess.” I pulled the tie from my hair and let it fall around me. It fell just above my waist and was normally straight, but it had little crimps from the hair tie. 

He took a strand and loosely wrapped it around his finger a few times. I stared at his hand, watching his finger move around my hair. There was something intimate about it. It felt like ages had passed by the time he stopped. He blushed a little, something I’ve never seen him do. He stood up suddenly and scratched the back of his head. “Good night, Artemis.” He turned and disappeared into his tent.

I sat there and replayed everything that happened today in my head. It was so odd, so different. Brynjolf had never acted that way with me before and… it was strange. Not in a creepy way, just a different way, and not bad different. I’ll admit, I liked the attention, and the way he looked at me, how close we were. I shook my head and sighed. Don’t focus on this. Go to bed and get ready for the journey tomorrow. I sighed again and slipped into my bedroll. I hope I can sleep tonight.


	8. In Solitude

We finally made it to Solitude and after what happened when we were camping, I couldn’t have been happier to have made it. Brynjolf was carrying on with his usual self, acting as if nothing happened. I, on the other hand, couldn’t get it out of my head. But now was not the time to think about that.

The two of us stood behind a house that belonged to someone named Bryling from the Jarl’s court. I looked up and saw a window was partially opened. I jumped trying to get a hold of the window’s ledge, but it was just out of reach.

"Dammit," I muttered.

"Here." Brynjolf held his hands together in front of his knees. I put one of my feet in them and rested a hand on his shoulder to balance myself. "Ready?"

I nodded.

"One," he counted, as we bounced to get some momentum. "Two. Three."

I jumped up and with Brynjolf’s help, I managed to reach the ledge. I pushed the window open more and climbed inside. I looked back down at Brynjolf who was getting ready to jump. He reached it with no problem, but he’s a few inches taller than me, so I didn’t feel bad about not being able to make it on my own.

We were in a loft of sorts, and the house was silent. Bryling must’ve been sleeping, which makes our job easier, as long as we’re quiet. 

"What are we looking for again?" I whispered.

"A golden urn."

We crept silently through the house, hoping the urn was anywhere but her bedroom, but of course, that’s where it was. I pushed open the door slowly and peaked my head in. Bryling was sleeping and on the nightstand by her bed was the golden urn we’d been looking for. Why is nothing ever easy?

I pushed the door in just enough so I could fit through and began making my way towards her bed. When I got closer, she turned over and was facing my direction. I held my breath and stood still, fearing she’d wake up at any moment. After waiting a bit, I took the few more steps needed to reach the urn. I picked it up and was surprised at its weight, it was pretty heavy for how small it was. I put in in my large satchel and got out of there.

I shut the door and turned to go back out the way we came, when I found Brynjolf standing there with some jewelry and gems in his hands. I shook my head and smiled at him. He put his stolen goods in his pocket and we walked back to the window.

Brynjolf jumped down first and held his hands up, “Toss it down,” he whispered.

I pulled the urn out of my bag and let it fall down to Brynjolf. He caught it and put it next to him on the ground. “Alright, jump down.”

I sat on the ledge and swung my legs over. I pushed myself off and found Brynjolf’s hands on my shoulders to steady me. I picked up the urn and put it back in my satchel. “So, where are we spending the night? I’m assuming we’re not leaving until tomorrow morning.”

"The Winking Skeever. It’s an inn right by the gate."

"The Winking Skeever? What kind of name is that? They don’t keep skeevers as pets in there, do they? Because I am not sleeping in a place full of skeevers." I absolutely hate skeevers.

He chuckled. “No, Artemis, there are no skeevers, I promise.”

"Why’s is called ‘The Winking Skeever’ then?"

"Why do you have to question everything?" he said smiling.

I shrugged. “It adds to my charm.”

He chuckled again as we approached the inn. He opened the door and held out his hand telling me to go in first. The inn was warm and smelled of bread and mead. There were quite a few patrons in here, some were at the counter, some were at tables eating even though it was pretty late, others were by the girl who was playing a lute. Brynjolf walked over to the counter with me following him. 

"Two rooms for the night, please," he said while pulling out some gold.

"Sure thing," the proprietor replied. He handed two keys to Brynjolf. "Let me show you to your rooms." He led us down a short hall off the main room and pointed at two doors. "Let me know if you need anything else." He left Brynjolf and I standing alone in the hall. 

Brynjolf opened one of the doors and handed me the key. “Here you go.” The room was small, but the bed looked warm and inviting. There was a small chest at the end of it and a wardrobe by the door. I took off my armor and put it in the chest. I turned around and found Brynjolf had done the same with his. “Lock the room if you leave your stuff in here, or if you go to bed.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not stupid, Brynjolf. I know better. Why does it matter anyway? If I remember correctly, I had locked my room at the Bee and Barb and you still managed to get in,” I said with a smile on my face.

Brynjolf apparently didn’t find the humor in it. “I’m being serious, Artemis. You never know what drunken fool may wander in.” He lightened up a bit. “And not many people can manage to break into rooms. I’m the exception.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but I stopped when my stomach growled. 

Brynjolf smiled. “Hungry?” I didn’t think my stomach was that loud.

"They don’t serve skeever here, do they?"

"No, they don’t serve skeever." 

"Do they have good food?" My stomach made its presence known again.

He shrugged. “Let’s go find out.”

We went back out to the main room and sat down at the counter. The proprietor stood in front of us, wiping a glass in his hand. “What can I get ya?”

"Can I get some beef stew and a bottle of mead?" Brynjolf asked.

The inn keeper nodded. “And you?”

"I’ll have the same."

He nodded again and left to make the food. Brynjolf and I sat there with two other men, who were drinking and laughing. One of the stood up and walked over to me.

"So, what’ll it take to get you to come with me for the night?" he slurred.

I ignored him and stared shelves of glasses and plates behind the counter.

"Hey! I’m talking to you!" he shouted as he grabbed my shoulder. I turned ready to throw a punch, but the guy wasn’t there.

Brynjolf had him pushed against the wall with a dagger up to his neck. “Don’t ever touch her again, or you’ll find this dagger in your throat. Understand?” His voice was dark and menacing. I’d never heard it like that before, I wasn’t sure I liked it.

The man whimpered and nodded. Brynjolf let go and watched as the man fell to the floor. Only the man next to us and a couple from a table nearby saw the scene, and when Brynjolf turned around, they quickly looked away. Brynjolf casually walked back to his seat and put his dagger back in his belt.

"Thank you… I think." I don’t know if the death threat was necessary, but I doubt that guy will bother me again. "Why’d you do that? I could’ve handled him, you know."

He looked at me and smiled. “Yeah, I know, but sometimes it feels good coming to a woman’s rescue.” He faced forward again as our food was being brought to us.

The stew was warm and smelled amazing. I took a spoonful and shoved it into my mouth, it tasted just as good as it smelled. I scarfed down my stew before I even opened my bottle of mead. I looked over at Brynjolf who was watching me with an amused look on his face. “What?” 

He shook his head and chuckled. “You’ve got quite the appetite.”

"Are you calling me fat?" I joked. 

He smiled and continued eating his stew. I took a few sips of my drink and started playing with my spoon. The girl who was playing the lute earlier was now playing a flute. She began playing a melody I had heard when I was little. I hummed along with it.

"Want to dance?"

"What?" That startled me. I never pictured Brynjolf as the dancing type.

"Come on." He stood up and held a hand out to me. 

I hesitated, but when I saw the eager look on his face, I knew I couldn’t refuse. I took another swig of my mead and let him lead me to an open space in the room. He held mine and his hand up, level with my eyes, and took my other hand and put it on his shoulder. He rested his other hand on my waist. I blushed suddenly, and knew he noticed because he chuckled, which made me blush more. I knew how to dance, but I still was worried I was going to make a fool of myself. I looked down at Brynjolf’s feet and followed his steps.

He let go of waist and spun me around slowly then brought me even closer to him. I looked down at his feet again. He lifted my chin and smiled. “Dancing is always better when you’re looking at the one you’re dancing with.”

I resisted the urge to look back down and just stared at his eyes. He spun me around again and this time he put his hand on the small of my back rather than my waist. I felt the heat from his hand and it began spreading to the rest of me. My blush returned and I couldn’t help but look away from him. 

The song ended and I was kind of relieved and disappointed at the same time. The couple who saw Brynjolf threaten the man earlier started clapping. A few others joined in and after a few seconds, the clapping died down.

Brynjolf looked at me and smiled. “Well, that was fun. Though, you look like you’re ready to faint, Artemis.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I’m just tired,” I lied.

He eyed me, and I knew he knew I was lying. “We should probably get to bed anyway. We have to leave early tomorrow.” He took my hand and put my arm through his. “I don’t want you passing out until you get on your bed.” He took me to my room and made sure I got into bed. “Good night, Artemis.”

"Good night," I mumbled back.


	9. Back on the Road

It was early in the afternoon, the sun was high and there was a cool breeze coming in. Brynjolf and I walked together idly chatting about random things. The road was quiet, and I saw no animals anywhere near us. I stopped. 

"What is it, Artemis?"

I held up my hand and listened. Something wasn’t right. I pulled my bow out just as an arrow flew in between us. I grabbed an arrow from my back and shot it in the direction of the other arrow. I heard a grunt and a body fall to the ground. Brynjolf had his daggers out already and was scanning through the trees. Suddenly, several bandits had us surrounded, all with their weapons drawn.

"Give us your loot," one demanded. Is that all bandits know how to say?

"You know, it’s more polite to say please," I replied mockingly.

The one that spoke earlier growled, “Give it up or we’ll take it off your corpses.”

Brynjolf nudged me and whispered, “You got the front?”

I nodded slowly.

"What’s that you’re saying?" the bandit asked.

I didn’t answer. Instead I raised my bow and shot him right between the eyes before he had time to react. The other bandits instantly closed in on us. Brynjolf had his back against mine and we seemed to move in sync. Every time I shot an arrow, he threw a dagger. We were both fast, too fast for the bandits, and none of them had a chance to make it close enough to do any damage. 

I looked around and saw no other bandits… at least no other bandits that were alive. I put my bow back on my back and turned to Brynjolf. “Well, that was fun.”

Brynjolf looked at the dead bodies then smiled at me. “I knew you were good with a bow, but I didn’t know you were that good.” He knelt down and pulled an arrow from one of the bandits’ head. “You hit every one of them in the head. Did you miss a single shot?”

I shook my head and beamed; I liked impressing Brynjolf. I glanced down at his kills and saw daggers sticking out from the heads and chests of the bandits. “You’re not so bad yourself. How’d you get so good at throwing daggers?”

"Years of practice." He looked down again. "Let’s see if they have anything good on them."

We went around looting the bodies; we found some gold, a few lock picks, and I took all of their arrows. We left them there, and without looking back, we continued our way to Riften. 

When we made it back to the Cistern, Mercer was gone. Apparently, he had a lead on something in the Goldenglow fiasco and was following up on it. Brynjolf knew I didn’t like Vex, so he offered to take the urn to her and bring me my pay. I eagerly accepted. The less I had to deal with Vex, the happier I was.

I sat down on my bed and took off my armor. I looked at my nightstand and saw there was a note folded in half.

~If you’re still full of energy when you get back, feel free to stop over at my bed and I’ll help you expend the rest of it.  
\- Vipir~

I shook my head and smiled. Since I got here, Vipir had been constantly asking me for sex, either through innuendoes or just straight up asking “Do you want to have sex?” Each time I turned him down, but it never deterred him.

"What’s that?"

I jumped and looked up to find Brynjolf standing by me looking at the note. I quickly folded it back in half. “Nothing important. Where’s my gold?” I demanded jokingly.

He tossed me a coin purse. “150 gold, just like I said.” He stood there for a few seconds without saying anything.

I looked at him with my brows furrowed. “What?”

He shook his head and turned to leave. “Nothing.”

I jumped up and grabbed his arm. “Don’t pull that shit. What’s wrong?”

He smiled and pulled his arm away from me. “It’s nothing, Artemis.”

He was doing it on purpose. He knew I hated not knowing something, and he was loving how much it bothered me. “No, tell me. You know I hate that.”

He turned around to face me and smirked. “I know.”

I punch his arm softly. “Come on! Don’t do that.”

"Hey now, hitting’s not nice, lass," he said while grabbing his arm and pouting.

I laughed; he looked like a little kid, except for the goatee he had going on. “Then stop being an ass and tell me!” I hit him again, a little harder.

He pushed my shoulder lightly with one hand and chuckled. “I don’t think I will. This is too much fun.”

"Torturing me is fun?" I pushed him back which only resulted in him grabbing my arms and holding them in front of me. I tried to move them, but his grip was too strong. "That’s not fair, let go of me," I tried to keep my voice serious, but a laugh escaped me.

He laughed too. “Alright, I’ll admit it’s not fair. I forget you’re not as strong as me,” he replied tauntingly. He turned his back to me and started to walk away.

I jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. I squeezed my legs and spoke in his ear, “Take it back.”

"Take what back?" he responded through gritted teeth.

"That I’m not as strong as you."

"No."

"Yes." I squeezed tighter.

He didn’t say anything for a while, but finally gave in. “Fine, I take it back.”

I loosened up a little bit, but still kept my legs tight. “What were you not telling me earlier?”

He laughed. “It’s really bothering you, isn’t it?”

I didn’t respond, not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because Brynjolf pulled me over his shoulder and somehow managed to pin me down on the ground.

His body was holding down mine and his face was mere inches away. I could feel his breath on me and the warmth that radiated off of him. He always seemed warm; maybe it was my imagination. He smirked, “I take back my take back. I am stronger than you.”

I tried to wiggle free, but he had me down pretty good. “You’re heavier at least. I think you need to lay off the sweetrolls, Brynjolf,” I teased.

"Just for that, I’m not telling you."

"What? I was kidding. I’m sorry. You’re not fat, you’re as thin as a twig," I said with a smile on my face which was still close to his.

He smiled back, “I’ll accept that. So, do you really want to know?”

I rolled my eyes. “Quit being a prick. Yes, I really want to know.”

His eyes twinkled. “I was just thinking about our dance, that’s all.”

My face grew serious as those few minutes replayed in my head. The way his hand held mine, his other hand on my waist and later my back, the way he guided me across the floor, the close proximity of our bodies, which reminded me of how close we were now. I blushed and saw him smile. I think he does this on purpose, just to see my reaction. Ass.

He held me down for a few more seconds, then let me back up. I shook my head while rolling my eyes.

"What?" he asked.

I smirked. “Nothing,” I replied, drawing out the word. Let’s see how he likes his own game. 

He shrugged, “Alright then,” and walked away.

I crossed my arms and glared at him. Of course, he wouldn’t play into it because he knew I wanted him too. I sighed and turned to sit back on my bed. When I sat down, I looked up and saw that everyone in the cistern was looking from me to Brynjolf and back to me. Great, the rumors were going to fly now.


	10. In the Cistern,

Mercer still hadn’t returned yet, but I wasn’t worried about him. My concern was why Maven had sent someone down to the Cistern with a note about me.

"She just wants to talk to you, lass," Brynjolf said assuringly.

I shook my head and sat down at the head of my bed. “I don’t want to go meet her! What does she even want to talk about?” 

I looked at the note again.

~Send the girl that went to Goldenglow to the Bee and Barb immediately.  
-MBB~

I put the note back on my nightstand and refused to look at it again. There are many ways to tell someone to meet you at an inn, being bitchy and demanding didn’t have to be one of those ways.

He sat down across from me and shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, but most people who end up working with Maven walk away rich.”

"Or with a knife sticking out of their neck." I looked up at him and met his gaze. "If I come back bloody and dead, would you be so kind as to clean me up before you bury me?"

He chuckled. “I doubt it’ll come to that. Just don’t piss her off.”

I sighed. Meeting someone should not be this intimidating. It wasn’t that I was scared of her, it was more of what she could do, or rather, what she could have other people do. “What does she usually contact people from the Guild for?”

"It’s normally just for a job." He reached over and squeezed my hand, but I was too busy worrying about Maven to notice. "You’ll be fine." He stood up while keeping my hand in his. "Come on," he said as he pulled me up. "I’ll walk with you to the Bee and Barb and I’ll wait for you downstairs. Sound good?"

"Fine," I sighed. 

We left the Cistern and walked through the market to the Bee and Barb. The inn was full of people and was very loud. Maybe with so many witnesses, she won’t kill me here. But with it being so noisy, would people even hear it?

I looked at the stairs that led up to Maven and hesitated. I felt a hand on my back. “You’ll be fine, Artemis. I’ll be down here, alright?”

I sighed and nodded. “You better be here when I come back down, if I come back down.” I went up the steps and saw Maven sitting in an area that had a table and two chairs. This must be her usual business spot. Not very fancy.

As I approached, her head lifted and her lip curled slightly. “So you’re the one.” She scoffed, “You don’t look so impressive.”

I narrowed my eyes at her and took the seat by hers. I crossed my arms and leaned back against the chair. I no longer felt scared, but irritated now. “How about we skip the conversation,” I snapped.

Her face went impassive and her voice monotonous. “You’re a firebrand, aren’t you?” She nodded slightly in approval. “It’s about time Brynjolf sent me someone with business sense. I was beginning to think he was running some sort of beggar’s guild over there.” 

"Well, he’s not," I retorted, taking a bit of personal offense to the remark. "Now, what am I here for?"

I’m guessing she no longer appreciated my attitude because her lip curled again and her next words were sharp. “I have a job for you. An important one. You’re going to put my competitor, Honningbrew Meadery, out of business. You’re also going to find out how he managed to get the place up and running so quickly.” She paused. “You can handle that, can’t you?”

I ignored her insult and asked, “Where do I begin?”

"Head to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun and speak to Mallus Maccius. He’ll fill you in on all the details." 

I stood up and walked down the stairs. I looked around for Brynjolf, but he wasn’t there. I muttered to myself and walked outside. He was standing by the doorway, leaning on the building.

I walked in front of him with my hands on my hips. “Hey, what happened? You said you’d be in there for me.”

"Sorry, Artemis. My head started hurting with all the noise in there." He stepped closer to me began looking all over me. He walked behind me and lifted my hair and walked back in front of me. "So, I see no knives or anything sticking out of you. I take it she didn’t kill you?" he asked sarcastically.

I pushed him and shook my head. “No, but she was a bitch.”

He chuckled and put his arm around my shoulder. I leaned into him without even realizing it. He lightly squeezed my shoulder. “Come on, you can tell me all about your conversation down at the Ragged Flagon.”

When we got back to the Flagon, Brynjolf got me a bottle of mead and sat across me. It was just like when I told him about the Goldenglow job.

"She wants you to go to Whiterun to put a competitor out of business? Maven’s never really felt threatened about other meaderies." He leaned forward with interest on his face. "This sounds personal."

I rolled my eyes. “I couldn’t care less if it’s personal, I still don’t want to do it. She didn’t even ask, she demanded.”

He shook his head. “You going to have to get over your pride for this job, Artemis. The Guild’s success is dependent on Maven.” 

I sighed and crossed my arms. “I like my pride,” I pouted.

He smiled and there was a sparkle in his deep green eyes. “I know, Artemis. I like your pride too.”


	11. In Whiterun,

So the job Maven sent me to Whiterun for involved poisoning the mead in the meadery that was infested with skeevers. It was absolutely disgusting. Not only was the place infested, there was also some crazy guy living underneath the place who was apparently attempting to make a skeever army. What in Oblivion is wrong with people? 

Brynjolf came up with me, but he didn’t help at all. “It’s a job from Maven for you, lass, not me. If Maven wanted me involved she would’ve asked.” I finished the job around midday, but Brynjolf and I decided to wait until morning to leave. He bought us rooms in the Bannered Mare and now all we had to do was figure out a way to kill time.

"I have to go talk to someone, that’s why I came with you. You can go do whatever you want, Artemis. As long as you don’t get yourself into trouble," Brynjolf warned me.

I gave him an innocent look. “Why would I do that?”

He gave me an exasperated look and shook his head. “I’ll be up that way,” he said pointing towards Whiterun’s Wind District. He smiled at me. “Be good.”

"Always," I said smiling back. I turned and made my way towards Warmaiden’s. I saw a bow outside that looked interesting.

When I got there, the woman running the place noticed me admiring it. “That’s one of my best pieces. Pure ebony.”

I looked up with raised eyebrows. “It’s a beautiful bow.” I looked at it closely; it had an amazing design that was barely scraped into the surface of the glass, but was still noticeable when the light hit it. “I’m scared to ask, but how much?”

"2400," she said flatly.

I had to stop my jaw from dropping and put the bow back down reluctantly. “I can’t afford that.” I walked away with my head hanging. I really wanted that bow. I decided to just go back to the Bannered Mare, but a tap on my shoulder stopped me.

"Are you Artemis from Cyrodiil?" a thin, disheveled man asked me.

I narrowed my eyes, “Who wants to know?”

He pulled out a paper from his pocket and held it out to me. “Got a letter I’m supposed to deliver.”

I took it from him hesitantly. “How did you-“

"Sorry, can’t talk. Got more letters to deliver." And with that, he ran off.

I turned the letter over in my hand and stared at the front. It was sealed and had “Artemis” written on it. I continued walking to the inn and went up to my room. I didn’t know who sent this, but I certainly didn’t want Brynjolf or anyone else to find out about it. I closed the door and sat on the bed. I leaned toward the nightstand where the candle was and read the letter.

~Dear Artemis,  
I know you’ve left Cyrodiil and are now in Skyrim. We need to talk, I have so many questions and you have a lot of explaining to do. Mother has been worried ever since you left; she’s become depressed and there’s nothing I’ve been able to do for her. Not only is she worried, but your husband has become grief stricken as well. I’m in Skyrim now and will stay here until you come see me. We used to be close, so I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me, your own twin brother! If I seem angry when you see me, don’t be surprised, I’ve been worried about you too. I’ll be in Falkreath staying at the inn. Come see me as soon as possible.  
-Arthur~

I quickly folded the paper up and tucked it into my pocket. I sat there and stared at nothing. My brother was here in Skyrim, my mother is sick, and my husband is grief stricken. I highly doubt that last one. But the letter scared me, if Arthur knew that I was in Skyrim, did that mean that my husband, Silion, knew? 

"Artemis?"

I jumped and looked up to find Brynjolf watching me with concern. “What?”

"Are you alright? You look… scared… and angry." He walked over and sat down next to me.

I shook my head. “No, I uh,” I took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”

I could feel Brynjolf’s eyes boring into me but I couldn’t look up to meet them. “Artemis.” He said sharply, but still had a note of worry. “What is wrong?”

I paused. Should I tell him? How would he react to knowing that I’m married? More importantly, how would he react to the story of why I’m here? I sighed and shook my head. “There is nothing wrong.” I didn’t sound convincing, but I had a dangerous edge to my voice; he’s heard that before from me. 

He closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them back up and stood in front of me. When I looked down away from him, he squatted in front of me and held my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “You can’t keep telling me there’s nothing wrong, or there’s no story, or there’s no reason. You can’t keep me in the dark about your past.” His penetrating stare made me want to shrink inside. 

I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see his anymore. “I promised myself I would keep it from everyone.”

"Look at me, Artemis," he commanded. When I opened my eyes, his voice softened. "I want you to let me in. I want to know why you act like this. What makes you so afraid to share this with me?"

His face was filled with so much care and worry, it was tempting to just let it all out. “No.” It took me a second to realize that I spoke. “Not now. Maybe… maybe someday, just not today.” I pulled his hand off my chin and pushed him away so I could stand. I walked over to the door and held it open, suddenly feeling cross. “Look, I’m tired, and I’d like to go to bed,” I said. My irritation was evident in my voice.

He didn’t move, he just stared at me. I crossed my arms and glared at him. I know I shouldn’t be angry with him, he’s only concerned for me, but I’ve told him before that I didn’t want to talk about it, and here he is pushing me. Finally, he began walking towards the door, but he stopped in the doorway.

He turned to face me, he didn’t look angry, but frustrated. “This is going to eat you up until you tell someone, anyone. It doesn’t have to be me, but since I’ve spent the most time with you, I figured I’d be the easiest person to tell. Whatever happened to you before you came here is haunting you. You hide it well, but I can still see it.” He placed a gentle hand on my cheek. “I care about you. I don’t want to see this destroy you.”

I stared at him, my face feeling nothing but his hand. He let his hand slide off my face and walked away to his room. I closed my door and laid down on the bed. Why did he have to make everything complicated? I’m ashamed of my past and I don’t want anyone, especially Brynjolf, to know how my life was before I came to Skyrim. 

I shook my head. I’ll worry about that later. Right now, I have to figure out a way to get to Falkreath without Brynjolf knowing.


	12. In Falkreath,

I decided to wait until Brynjolf was asleep to leave. I figured with all the noise from the inn downstairs, he wouldn’t notice. I left him a note on my bed so he’d at least know I wasn’t kidnapped or something. 

~Brynjolf,  
I know you want me to be open with you, but I can’t right yet. I’m leaving for a little while, but I’ll be back at the Cistern soon. Maybe when I come back, I’ll tell you everything… maybe.  
-Artemis~

While I was writing the letter, a knot tightened in my chest. It felt wrong just leaving him there, but it was too late to change my mind because I was already walking up the steps to the inn in Falkreath. When I entered, I looked around the room, but didn’t see Arthur. I walked over to the bar and asked if someone with that name had bought a room.

He looked at me suspiciously and responded, “My patrons’ privacy is important to me. I can’t just tell people who’s staying where.”

I crossed my arms. “I’m his sister. It’s important.”

The man just shook his head. “You could tell me your his daughter or wife and I still wouldn’t tell you.”

I leaned closer and put my hands on the bar. “Listen here, old man. If you don’t tell me whether he’s here or not then I’ll-“

"Artemis!"

I turned around and was embraced by my twin. “Arthur!” I wrapped my arms around him. My brother and I were very close growing up. We did everything together, we were like two halves of the same whole. “I wasn’t sure you actually came here.” I pointed at the barkeep, “This ass hole wouldn’t tell me if you had a room here.”

I pushed away from him slightly so I could see him. His hair was shorter than it was the last time I saw him and his eyes looked tired. Arthur and I looked identical… almost, he obviously had a more masculine shaped face and he lacked the boobs I had. I always found it funny that if I were a man, I would look exactly like him.

Arthur let me go and led me to his room. He closed the door and turned to face me. “Alright,” he said, suddenly growing serious, “why did you leave?”

I looked into his pale green eyes that matched mine. There was hurt and concern in them. I sighed. “I had to get away from Silion.”

He looked at me confused. “Why? You and Silion seemed like the happiest couple in the world.” He looked at the scar on my eye. “And what’s that from?”

I snorted, “That’s from him.” His eyes widened and before he could say anything, I asked him, “Did you tell anyone I was here?”

He looked at me and nodded slowly. “I told Mother and Silion you were here.” He looked over at the door. “Percan came with me.”

This time, it was my eyes that widened. Percan was Silion’s body guard and best friend. If he was here, then both of us were in danger. “Is he here at the inn now?”

He shook his head. “No, he’s out hunting now. He said he needed something to do while we were waiting.” 

"Then we need to leave. Now." I turned away from Arthur and began gathering his things. "Silion can’t know that I came to see you."

"Why?" he asked while helping me.

"Because, you’ll be in danger. He’ll kill you," I replied bluntly.

Arthur stopped and stared at me. “Silion would kill me? He’s never been anything but kind to our family!”

I sighed and finished packing what he had started. “You don’t know Silion. I thought that too, but… that’s how Moriah died.”

"Silion killed Moriah?" Arthur was bewildered. He shook his head. "Why? How could he do that? She was your best friend and…"

"We’ll talk about this later, but we don’t have time now. We have to go!" I grabbed my traveling bag and threw it over my shoulder. Arthur took his and followed me out of the inn.

"Where are we going to go?"

I hesitated. Should I take him to Riften? Would they allow him in the Flagon? Surely Brynjolf would. But was I ready to show Arthur my new life? The life of a thief living in the sewers?

"Artemis?"

I looked up at him and knew that there was no safer place I could think of. “We’re going to Riften.”

"Why Riften?"

I turned away from him and focused my attention on the road ahead of us. It was surrounded by woods and I hoped we wouldn’t run into Percan. I picked up my pace and Arthur followed suit. 

"Will you answer me?" Arthur was always impatient, just like me, but he had better control of his temper. 

"We’ll be safe there."

"Is that where you’ve been living?"

"Yes."

"Did you buy a house? Are you staying at the inn? Did someone take you in?" He never was satisfied with just knowing the general situation, he had to know every little detail.

I didn’t answer right away. “I was… taken in.” In a way, I guess I was. Had Brynjolf not saved me that night the guards were chasing me, I’d be in jail right now. And if I had managed to escape, I’d have no money, no food, and no shelter. I never really thought about the fact that Brynjolf really had saved me. 

Oh no. Brynjolf. He’s going to be pissed when I get back to the Guild. I hope he didn’t try to find me. I don’t see how he would’ve anyway, but knowing Brynjolf, he’d find a way. I’m not really looking forward to that confrontation, nor am I looking forward to introducing him to my brother.

"Well, I’m eager to meet whoever’s stupid enough to let you into their house," Arthur replied jokingly.

I groaned internally. What have I gotten myself into?


	13. In the Flagon,

"This is where you live?" Arthur looked around with his lip curled.

I sighed. “I never said I lived anywhere glamorous. It’s a bit different than our home back in Burma.”

"You don’t say," he replied sarcastically. "So, you have to go through the sewers to get here? That’s you’re only way?"

"Well, that’s how you have to. Some of us have a different way."

"Why do I have to go through the sewers?" he whined.

"Because you’re not part…" I stopped. How do I explain this without telling him everything? Luckily, I didn’t have to… yet.

"Artemis!" Delvin shouted when he saw us enter the Flagon.

"Who’s that?" Arthur asked. Questions. Always with the questions!

I waved at Delvin as the two of us made our way over. “That’s Delvin. He’s a, uh, job supplier.” 

Arthur was ready to ask more questions, but Delvin interrupted him. “Where in blazes have you been, Artemis?!” He stood up with his arms crossed over his chest. He was a little shorter than me since he was a Breton. “Brynjolf’s been tearing his hair trying to figure out where you went. I’m surprised he didn’t take off after you.” So was I.

"He’s here?" I sighed. I still wasn’t ready for this conversation. "I take it he’s in the Cistern."

Delvin nodded, then looked up past me to Arthur. “And who’s this?”

Arthur pushed forward and held out his hand to Delvin. “I’m Arthur, Artemis’s brother.”

Delvin shook his hand and looked from Arthur to me. “I can see the family resemblance. You never told me you had a brother.”

I shrugged. “It never came up. Do you have a place where he can stay for the time being?”

"We can’t just let anyone stay here, Artemis, you know that. Take him to the Bee and Barb. There’s always rooms up there."

"I’d rather him stay down here, where it’s a bit safer. Please, Delvin? Can’t you make an exception for a family member?" I looked at him pleadingly, but he didn’t seem to be swayed. I walked away from him and over to Vekel. I liked Vekel and I’m pretty sure Vekel liked me, or so I hoped. "Vekel, can my brother stay down here? And I don’t mean in the Ratway, I mean here in the Flagon? I’d rather him not stay at the Bee and Barb because I don’t know if he’ll be safe there."

Vekel looked at me confused. “What exactly is he in danger of?”

"I’d rather not get into the whole story, but someone is looking for him. Someone who’s working for a man who I have a past with." 

He stared at me for a few seconds, then looked over at Delvin. “I’m sure we can fit one more person here, don’t you think, Delvin?”

Delvin uncrossed his arms and sat down. “Alright. If Vekel’s fine with it, then I don’t have a problem, Artemis.” 

"Thank you, Delvin." I turned back to Vekel and smiled. "Thanks. I owe you one."

He smiled, “Don’t mention it. You should go talk to Brynjolf, he’s been worried about you. I’ll show your brother where he can stay.”

"I think I may need a drink before I see Brynjolf. I’m sure he’s probably more pissed than worried," I sighed. I waved to Arthur to come over to the bar. "Oh, and please don’t bring up any Guild business in front of Arthur. He doesn’t know what this place is for yet, and I’m not sure how he’s going to react when he finds out."

Vekel nodded and put the rag he was using to wipe down the bar in his pocket. “I’ll be sure to keep quiet, and I’ll tell the others too. And Brynjolf is worried, I promise you. He cares for you quite a bit, you know.”

I smiled and turned to faced Arthur who was standing behind me. “This is Vekel, he’s going to show you where you’re staying. I have to go talk to someone.”

Arthur nodded, “Alright, but I have more questions when you’re done.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you always?” I left the Flagon and stood in front of the door to the Cistern. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The smell of damp air filled my nose as I entered the room. 

I saw Thrynn and Brynjolf talking near the practice dummy. Thrynn saw me enter and motioned for Brynjolf to look. Brynjolf turned and his face was full of relief and irritation. A strange combination, but they were both blatantly visible. He began walking towards me, and I was tempted to turn and run back to the Flagon, but I decided that would probably just piss him off even more. 

I took a few steps forward to get out of the short hallway and waited for Brynjolf. He stood in front of me; I waited for a loud scolding, but none came. Instead he pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me. I never expected something so… intimate… from Brynjolf. 

He pulled away and I heard a paper crinkling. I looked at his hand and in it was the note I had left him in Whiterun. He tucked it into his pocket and took my hand. “Come on.”

I followed him to the ladder that led out to the city. “Where are we going?”

"For a walk."


	14. In Riften,

Brynjolf led me through the streets of Riften still holding my hand. I wasn’t sure what was going on. Was he going to yell at me someplace where no one would hear? Was he going to kick me out of the Guild and save me the embarrassment of having everyone in the Cistern know? This was driving me nuts. When we got to the city’s gate, I pulled my hand from his and stood in front of him.

"Alright, you’ve led me around RIften and now you taking me out of the city. What is going on? And don’t just say ‘we’re going for a walk.’" My hands were on my hips and the guards by the gate were watching us. I wasn’t being as quiet as I probably should’ve been, but I didn’t really care.

He looked at me with his dark green eyes and said, “I wanted to talk to you alone, with no interruptions.”

He began walking again and I followed. “About what?”

He didn’t answer, instead he just kept walking until the gate was out of sight. He stopped suddenly and turned to me. His face was full of hurt. “Why did you leave?” he asked.

I looked at him confused. “You sound like you thought I was never coming back?” 

"When I read your letter, it felt like… like you were leaving for good," he answered in a melancholy tone. 

I still was confused. “I never said anything about leaving the Guild in my letter. I don’t get why you would think that. The Guild is my home. Everyone is like my family now.” Except Mercer. And maybe Vex, but I don’t know, she’s like a cranky, bitchy aunt, so I guess she’s like family too.

Brynjolf still looked sad, but a little less so. “I know you didn’t explicitly say it, but… I don’t know. It was just a feeling.” He took my hand again. “So, you’re not going to leave?”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little. The idea was completely ridiculous to me. How could I leave the Guild? I’d have nothing then. I shook my head and gave him a smile. “No, I’m not going to leave.”

He smiled back and squeezed my hand softly. “Good. I’m glad.” His face fell a little and he hesitantly asked, “So, where did you go?”

Brynjolf hates not knowing what’s going on. He’s just like Arthur; he has to know every detail and won’t stop asking until he does. I rolled my eyes and began walking over to the river at the edge of the path. I sat down on a rock and let my feet dangle over. Brynjolf sat down next to me, close enough for our arms to graze each other.

"I went to Falkreath," I finally answered.

"Why?"

I sighed. “I might as well tell you the whole story, otherwise you won’t stop asking.”

"I don’t want you to tell me until you’re ready, Artemis."

I looked over at him, “Then why do you keep asking?”

He shrugged. “Because I want to know.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”

He smirked, “Yes, lass, I know.”

I shook my head and looked back at the water. “If I tell you this, then promise that you won’t change the way you look at me.”

"Why would I look at you differently?"

"Because I was different person before I came to Skyrim. I was weak and I’m ashamed of that." I closed my eyes. "I never want to be that person again."

"You won’t be." I looked up at him. "I don’t know who you were before, but I know who you are now. You’re strong and proud, and who you are now will never let you be who you don’t want to be."

I smiled. “I hope you’re right.” I took a deep breath. “Alright. So, I grew up in Burma. My family was nobility there. All of the men in my family were high ranking members of the Imperial Legion, including my father before he died, so we were very well respected in Cyrodiil. My mother was always worried about what others thought of us, so she hated the fact that I was always working on my archery skills instead of making sure I knew how to act like a proper noblewoman. I married into an Imperial family, the man’s name was Silion. He was wanted by most of the young women in Burma and the cities nearby, but I was the lucky one he chose. Mother was ecstatic when she found out. He courted me and soon I fell in love with him. We got married and I saw the darker side of him. He drank a lot and when he was drunk, he became angry and controlling. I stayed out late one night with my friend, and when I got home, he was drinking again. He screamed at me for being late and I thought it was going to stop there, but it didn’t. He came after me with a knife and we struggled on the floor.”

I stopped and took another deep breath. This was the first time I ever told this story to anyone, and it wasn’t easy. Brynjolf rested his hand over mine and it encouraged me to keep going. “He still had his knife while we were on the floor and somehow he managed to cut my eye, giving me this scar.” I pointed at my eye. “After the whole ordeal, he locked me in the guest room, and that became an everyday thing. He’d come in and abuse me when he was drinking, both physically and…” For some reason, this was embarrassing to admit. “And sexually. He kept me in there unless we had people we needed to see or events to attend. If I had bruises that were visible, he’d just tell people that I had a training accident. When the abuse got worse, he decided to never let me out of the room for fear I’d tell someone what was going on. He told everyone that I was gravely ill. He kept my family away by telling them that I didn’t want to see anyone because I didn’t want them to see me that way. I don’t know if my family tried to see me or if they just accepted what Silion said.” 

I sighed and pulled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. “One of the Silion’s servants always brought me food and drink, and I had convinced her to send a note to my best friend, Moriah. I told her what was happening in that letter and she came to Silion’s house demanding that he let me see her. When he refused, she told him that she knew what was going on and that if he didn’t let her in then she’d report it to the guards. Finally, he let her in and she came up to the bedroom that I was locked in. Silion opened the door for her and let her in. When she saw me, she burst into tears, I guess I looked terrible. Silion left us alone, and I told her everything that had happened. She was furious and she promised to do something to get me out of there. She left that night, and a few days later, the servant came back and told me that she was dead. Someone had broken into her house and murdered her while she was sleeping. The killer was never identified or caught, but I know it was someone Silion hired.” My eyes were burning and tears began running down my face.

Brynjolf wiped them away and put his arms around me. “You can stop, if you want,” he said softly.

I shook my head. “No, I’m almost done.” I inhaled slowly and blinked hard, trying to stop myself from crying. “After that night,” my voice was shaky, but I kept going, “I knew I couldn’t stay there any longer. I started trying to pick the lock on the window with my hair pins. I had never done it before, so it took days, but I finally got it open. I hadn’t eaten very much the past few days because I was spending as much time as I could on that window. I packed the food I had left and anything else I thought I’d need in a knapsack and slowly opened the window. The guest room was on the first floor, so there wasn’t much of a drop. It was late, Silion was already in bed, and there were none of his personal guards near my window. I jumped down and ran. When I was sure I was far enough away, I slowed down and walked out of the city. I left Cyrodiil and went across the border into Skyrim. I didn’t have any money and I had run out of food. I tried to find work, but the farms I found wouldn’t hire me. I became desperate and figured that I had nothing to lose, so I started stealing. I only stole what I felt I needed. I didn’t take immense amounts of food or money, just enough to get me through until the next house. Eventually, I got really good at breaking into homes and keeping myself from being seen. Then I wandered into Riften and started hitting the houses and businesses there, until I stepped on a cat in someone’s house. The cat freaked out and woke up the family. I bolted out of the house, the guards pursued me, and then I ran into you.” 

He tightened his arms around me and I rested my head on his chest. It was comforting and I felt safe there. That’s something I haven’t felt for a long time. “When we were in Whiterun, a courier had a letter for me from my brother, Arthur. He said he had found out that I was in Skyrim, so he came and was in Falkreath waiting for me. So I snuck out of the inn and went to Falkreath. I didn’t want you to know because I wasn’t ready to explain everything, and I wasn’t ready for Arthur to know about what I’ve been doing in Skyrim. I figured that’d be easier without you there, because he’d ask who you were, how I met you, and any other question he could think of. When I found him, he told me that he had told Silion that I was in Skyrim and that Percan, Silion’s body guard, was here with him. I left Falkreath with Arthur before Percan could find out. Arthur’s in the Flagon right now; Vekel’s letting him stay down there for me where I’m hoping he’ll be safe. Though, if Silion knows I’m in Skyrim and that Arthur came to find me, then I’m not sure how safe either of us is.” I lifted my head to look at him.

He was staring at the water, anger written all over his face. He looked down at me and his look softened. “I’m not going to let him find you, Artemis. I promise.” 

I believed Brynjolf would do anything he could to protect me, but even Brynjolf’s protection could only go so far. I wasn’t sure he would be able to stop Silion. I put my head back on his chest and began to cry softly. I hated crying and rarely did it, but I couldn’t stop it now. The fear of Silion finding Arthur and I was beginning to set in.


	15. In the Cistern,

"I have to go talk to Arthur. I promised him an explanation," I said as we crossed the bridge of the cistern. 

"You already told the story once today. Are you sure you want to do it again so soon?" He looked at me with eyes full of concern. 

It was nice knowing that there was someone who cared and who I could trust. I gave him a small smile and nodded softy. “Yes. I feel better now that I told someone, and I think it’ll be even better when Arthur knows.” I lifted my eyes to his and blushed a little. “Can you be in there with me? For moral support.”

"Of course. Plus, I want to meet your brother. Maybe he’d make a fine addition to our organization."

"No. You can’t tell him anything about the guild." 

He looked at me confused. “You haven’t told him.” It wasn’t a question. “You brought him here, but you don’t want him to know what you do?”

I shook my head. “At least, not yet. I don’t know how he would react to it. I can’t see him being happy about the whole thing.” I sighed. “That’s something to deal with later. Right now, I have to tell him my little story.”

We left the Cistern and went into the Flagon where Arthur was talking with Vekel at the bar. They were drinking and laughing. Arthur had not even been here for a day and he was already making friends. Brynjolf and I approached the bar and learned that Arthur was sharing stories about our childhood. “And she landed flat on her face. The poor horse got scared and ran, she almost trampled Artemis. The look on Artemis’s face was priceless.”

Vekel laughed. “How old was she?”

"We were both eight. Father had bought it for her, and her first lesson was certainly the most memorable. For me, anyway." Arthur smiled and turned around to face me. His face dropped when he saw that I had been crying. "What’s wrong? What happened?" His eyes flashed to Brynjolf who was standing close behind me. "You didn’t do anything, did you?" he asked him. He always was overprotective. 

"No, Brynjolf didn’t do anything." I looked around to see everyone staring at us. I took Arthur’s arm and pulled him away from the bar. "Let’s talk somewhere more private." I looked at Brynjolf, "Could you stay here? I think I’ll be fine by myself."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. I led Arthur out of the Flagon through the Ratway and took him outside the gate. We stopped where Brynjolf had taken me earlier. “Alright. So, here’s the whole story.” I repeated what I had told Brynjolf, except I didn’t cry this time.

Arthur’s eyes were wide with anger. “Why? Why would he do that? I don’t understand.” He was clenching his fists. 

I shrugged. “I don’t either.”

"He could’ve killed you!" His put his face in his hands. "He killed Moriah and he almost killed you." He lifted his head, and the expression he wore was terrifying. "I swear, if I see him again, I’m going to kill him. He’ll know pain, he’ll know the pain he put you through."

I had never seen Arthur that angry. I was scared and that anger wasn’t even directed at me. “Hopefully we’ll never see him again.” I squeezed his arm hoping to calm him. “What matters now is that I’m safe from him, and right now, you are too.” I stood up. “Come on. Let’s get back to the Flagon. I need to properly introduce you to Brynjolf.”

He followed me back to the Flagon, but his fists were still clenched and his knuckles were white. Brynjolf was sitting at a table talking with Delvin. I took Arthur next to Brynjolf and put a hand on his shoulder. “This is the man who was crazy enough to take me in,” I said with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood. I don’t how well it worked. 

Brynjolf stood up and stretched out his hand. “My name’s Brynjolf.”

Arthur shook his hand. “Arthur,” he replied with a curt nod. “Thank you for taking care of my sister.”

"It’s no trouble. She’s a pleasure to have around," he smiled at me. He looked back at Arthur. "You’re welcome to stay for as long as you need, Arthur."

"Thank you." He looked around the Flagon, then back at Brynjolf. "So, what is it you guys do here? Why do you all live down here?"

My breath caught and my heart stopped for a second. This was not how I wanted him to find out. “I run a merchant’s stall in the square. This is where we handle the inventory.” Brynjolf spoke so smoothly and with no hesitation. Had I not known the truth, I would’ve believed him.

"All these people work for you?" Arthur asked.

Brynjolf nodded. “In return for shelter and food, they help with whatever needs to be done. Delvin and Vex,” he pointed at them, “find out where we can get goods for decent prices. Tonilia over there, handles trade with the smaller businesses and caravans. It’s turned into a little operation of sorts, I suppose.” 

Arthur looked impressed. I was baffled. Brynjolf just described everyone’s real job, but made them sound legit. I wish I was that tactful. “Will I have to work in order to stay?” Arthur asked.

"That’s completely up to you," Brynjolf replied with a smile.


	16. In Riften,

Having Arthur at the Flagon hasn’t been as stressful as I thought it’d be. Everyone’s somehow managing to keep the whole Thieves Guild thing quiet, so he still thinks we’re all there helping Brynjolf with his stall in the market square. After talking with Arthur, Brynjolf told me that Mercer had found a way to identify whose been screwing with the Guild.

He and I were to head to Solitude and talk to some Argonian named Gulum-Ei. We planned on leaving tomorrow, so we don’t get too late of a start. Brynjolf decided to kill time by heading up to the square and seeing if he could make some money. He asked me to join him, though I don’t know why.

I stood by Brynjolf’s market stall, listening to him try to sell some new concoction that he claimed would make the consumer attractive to anyone they came in contact with. Unsurprisingly, he had quite a handful of women in line to buy some. My job was to handle the money he earned, and every time he turned to hand me the gold, he’d wink or smile, which earned me some dirty looks from the other women. Though I’d never admit it out loud, I enjoyed seeing the jealousy on their faces. It made me feel like I had something they wanted… which I knew wasn’t true, but they didn’t.

"Here, lass," Brynjolf said as he handed me the coin from his last transaction. He put the rest of the bottles in a large sack and put his satchel around his shoulder. "So, we had a busy day today. I should’ve used that con earlier, eh?"

I shook my head and smiled. “I don’t think it was the pitch, necessarily.”

"No?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. "Why do you think we made so much money then?"

"Maybe it’s just you. You did notice that most of your customers were women, right?"

He shrugged, “I don’t really pay attention to that.”

I looked at him skeptically, “It was kind of hard not to notice, whether you’re paying attention or not.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. I immediately grew suspicious and knew he was going to say something that would embarrass me. “Alright, if that’s true, then what is it about me that brings the customers? More specifically, our female customers.”

Damnit. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. What does he want me to say? That it’s his alluring voice? His deep red hair? His dashing good-looks? Maybe his well-built body? Or his suave attitude? Or… hmm, I think a smart-ass comment would be better. I shrugged, “I haven’t the slightest idea. I’m still trying to figure that one out myself.”

"Well, when you do, be sure to let me know, ok?" He adjusted the satchel and threw the sack over his shoulder.

"What do you keep in that thing? I have the bag of money and the sack has your goods. What else do you need?" I asked, pointing at the satchel.

"There’s some things I like to have with me. Just in case."

"In case of what?"

He shrugged, “In case I need to break into something, or I need a few extra septims.” He paused and glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Or if it’s the perfect moment.”

"What do you mean ‘perfect moment’?" 

"When it’s the perfect moment, then you’ll find out," he replied.

I looked at him questioningly, but he didn’t look back. “You know, I hate it when you do that.”

"When I do what?" he asked with feigned innocence.

"When you leave me with more questions than answers." 

"You just don’t ask the right questions at the right times. If you did, then you’d get your answers."

"How am I supposed to know what’s right to ask?" I asked, throwing my hands into the air.

He didn’t answer right away. We stepped into the small graveyard that sits in front of the Guild’s “secret” entrance. I don’t know how it hasn’t been discovered yet. The thing’s louder than a constipated mammoth. 

"Are you ever going to answer me?" Now I was getting irritated. 

He stopped walking and put down the sack and his satchel. I watched him, confused. “What are you-?”

"It’s my turn to ask." He stood in front of me, with very little space between us. His right hand slowly snaked around my waist while his left tilted my chin up. His skin felt rough, but gentle and wary. "Do you want me to stop?"

His body was so close to mine, and if I stood up on my toes, our lips would meet. My cheeks burned and my breathing faltered. I stared into his eyes as they danced from my eyes to my lips. “No,” I mumbled.

Without hesitation he closed the distance and laced his fingers into my hair, deepening the kiss. I let my arms wrap around his neck and pulled him closer, ensuring there was no space between us. My heart was beating faster and I was sure he could hear it. I wonder if his was doing the same. His tongue grazed my lips as I parted them, letting him in. A moan escaped, but it was so quiet, I wasn’t sure if it was from me or him. 

It felt like we had been standing there for hours like that, but when he pulled away, it didn’t feel like it had been long enough. My lips tingled and my heart was still pounding. His wrapped his other arm around my waist and we stood there, not saying a word, just staring at each other. I felt… relieved. I didn’t realize how much I cared for Brynjolf, and now I knew he cared about me too. I smiled and felt like a little girl who had finally learned that her secret crush liked her back. 

Brynjolf smiled back and gave me another kiss, shorter this time, and less intense. “I don’t know how well your brother’s going to like me now,” he joked.

Surprisingly, his joke didn’t kill the mood. If anything, it made it better. It made everything feel more comfortable and natural. My smile widened and I replied back, “Vipir’s not going to be thrilled with you either.”


	17. In the Cistern,

I was excited for tomorrow’s trip to Solitude. It meant I got to spend quite a few days traveling with Brynjolf. I smiled to myself as I packed my bag. A hand brushed against the small of my back.

"You seem eager for this trip, lass." Brynjolf stood next to me, his hand still on my back.

I looked over at him, “I’m ready to travel for a bit, plus I’m excited to visit Solitude again. It’s a beautiful city.”

Brynjolf smiled. “It is. It’s also full of puffed-up nobles who own many valuables.”

"I doubt Mercer would appreciate us taking extra time to break into homes. He’s already pissed off about this whole thing. I’m guessing he wants us to figure out what’s going on as soon as possible." I glanced over at Mercer who was watching us with his beady eyes. A shiver ran down my spine. "I get the feeling he doesn’t like me very much, and I don’t want to make that worse."

Brynjolf looked at him then back at me. “I don’t think it’s that he doesn’t like you. I believe he’s just not sure of you yet. He doesn’t know how much you can help the Guild.”

I looked up at Brynjolf accusingly. “I’ve done nothing but help the Guild!”

He held up his hands, “I didn’t say that’s how I felt.” 

I brought my attention back to my bag, but I could still feel Mercer watching me. I lifted my eyes to see him, and I swear I could see the gears in his head turning. He was planning something. I didn’t think my distrust for Mercer could increase anymore, but it did in that moment.

"Artemis?"

"What?" I asked absent-mindedly.

"Are you alright?"

"What?" I asked again, this time looking at him.

He pointed down at my hands which were clenched, my knuckles were white and my nails were digging into my palm. I relaxed them and continued packing. “Yes, I’m fine.” I could tell Brynjolf my worries, right? Maybe I shouldn’t. Brynjolf’s been friends with Mercer for a long time, so he would probably just say that Mercer’s always been like that. “I’m just ready to get going.”

He eyed me, and I could tell he knew I was lying, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead he grabbed my hands and pulled me so I was facing him. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m thinking the Bee and Barb.”

"But I’m not done packing yet. I want to make sure I don’t forget anything."

He smiled and shook his head. “You take forever to pack, you know that?” He let go of my hands and put an arm around my shoulder. He began walking towards the Flagon, pulling me along with him. 

"I thought we were going to the Bee and Barb."

"We are, but I’m inviting your brother to come with us."

"Why?"

"Do you not want him to?"

"No, I mean yes. I don’t mind if he comes with us, but why do you want him to? Do you have some evil plan to get him to join the Guild?" I asked jokingly.

"I am shocked you would even suggest that I would do that! I just want to get to know him better. He seems like a good man and it gives me a chance to talk to him more."

"Please be careful what you say. I don’t-"

"Want him finding out about the Guild," he finished for me. "The longer he stays here, the more chance there is of him finding out," he warned.

"What do you want me to do? Send him away? If I do that then I put him in danger of Silion."

"You can stop lying to him."

I scoffed. “The con-man is telling me to stop lying? That seems a little hypocritical.”

He shook his head. “You’re not doing any good to him by continuing this charade.”

"He would be so disappointed to know that I was part of a faction that stole from people for a living." 

"I think he’d be more disappointed if he found out from someone else."

I sighed. “You’re probably right. I hate it when you’re right.”

He smiled. “I know you do.” He squeezed my shoulder.

We walked into the Flagon and saw Arthur talking to Delvin. Arthur was always good at making friends and could speak to anyone with ease. 

"Hello, Arthur. Artemis and I are going to the Bee and Barb. We were wondering if you’d like to join us," Brynjolf said charmingly. 

Arthur looked at us with a faint smirk, which confused me until he said, “I don’t know. I’d feel a bit rude if I joined you on your date.” 

Then I remembered Brynjolf’s arm was around me still. “It’s not a date,” I replied a little too quickly and defensively.

Arthur laughed. “Sure. I’ll come with you two.”

We walked through the Ratway, since the rule about Guild members being the only people allowed in the Cistern still stands. When we got to the inn, we took a table that was furthest from the center, hoping that we’d be able to talk without others eavesdropping. Keerava, the innkeeper, came over and took our order, then soon came back with our food.

"Okay," Arthur said, "what did you bring me here for?"

Why did he have to be so observant. “What makes you think there’s a reason?”

"Because I know you and the way you act. You have something you want to tell me."

"Well, lass. There’s no backing out now," Brynjolf said.

"I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry for me to tell him. As soon as he finds out, his view on you changes too." I sighed. I was so not ready for this.

"Dammit, Artemis! Will you just tell me what’s really going on already?" Arthur demanded.

I picked up my fork and stuck it in my food. “Can I eat first?” Let’s see how long I can stall.


	18. In the Bee and Barb,

I swallowed my food and looked down at my plate, but I could feel Arthur’s eyes on me. I took another bite before setting down my fork. 

"You done?" he asked, the irritation in his voice was pretty hard to miss. 

Brynjolf was sitting next to me, as silent as I’ve ever seen, or rather heard, him. I looked over at him, he was watching me too, less intensely than Arthur. I sighed and pushed my plate away from me. How do I tell him? I could just blurt out, ‘You know that whole merchant bullshit that Brynjolf told you? Well, it was a lie. We’re actually a group of misfits who steal things and occasionally set people up for crimes they didn’t commit.’ Somehow, I don’t think that would go over all that well.

I sighed again. I don’t think there’s an easy way to tell your law abiding brother that you’re a criminal. “Alright, so remember when Brynjolf told you that he’s a merchant and he gave us all jobs?”

"Yeah," he said suspiciously.

"It’s not true. We’re actually the Thieves Guild." I was looking down and I refused to look up. I did not want to see his face.

A few seconds passed by and I didn’t hear anything. Finally, I looked up and he was sitting there with his arms over his chest and a slight smirk on his face. Not the reaction I was expecting. “It’s about time you told me.”

He knew?! “How’d you find out?” I looked accusingly at Brynjolf who held up his hands and shook his head. 

"I’m not stupid, Artemis. I’m actually a bit offended that you thought I wouldn’t find out. And Brynjolf didn’t tell me."

I looked away from Brynjolf and back to Arthur. “Who then?”

"Pretty much everyone in Riften. I didn’t stay cooped up in the Flagon this entire time. People have been talking about the Thieves Guild a lot. I decided to ask someone about the Guild and she told me that it was holed up in the sewers beneath the city, so I went back to the Flagon and asked Vekel about it. He’s a good liar, I’ll give him that, but he could only lie for so long," he explained. 

"If you knew then why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because Vekel said that you would be pissed if you found out that he told me."

"I am pissed! I’m pissed because he promised he wouldn’t tell you and I’m pissed because you didn’t tell me that you knew!" She slammed her fist on the table. "This whole time I’ve been worried about you finding out and how you would react, but you already knew! I’ve been worrying for nothing!"

"Hey, calm down, lass," Brynjolf said, putting a hand over my fist. 

I looked at him, still pissed off. “Did you know he knew? And don’t you dare lie to me.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Vekel told me and Arthur later on confronted me about it. He actually threatened me, told me that if you got hurt or I got you into trouble then I’d be in trouble.”

"That’s why you were pushing me to tell him. This would’ve been a whole lot easier if I was just told from the get-go." I pushed my chair back and crossed my arms over my chest. 

"I think you’re overreacting," Arthur replied.

"Overreacting?!" I nearly shouted. "I am not overreacting. I think I have plenty of reason to be upset! Both of you basically lied to me."

"Isn’t that what you were doing with me?"

"What? No! That was completely different."

"How?"

"Because… " What it that different? Yes, it was. "I was keeping the truth from you because I was afraid you’d be disappointed in me. You had no reason for lying."

"You thought I’d be disappointed? Why?"

I looked at him, dumbstruck. “Umm, because you’ve always been one to follow the law to the letter?” I said with a “duh” tone in my voice.

He shook his head. “I don’t care what you choose to do… no, that’s not true. I’d care if you decided to be a whore… but this? If you’re happy and you’re taken care of, then I’m fine with it.”

I was really surprised. “Really?”

"Really. I wasn’t at first, but when I saw how much happier you were and how much Brynjolf, Vekel, and the rest of them care about you, I realized that I had no right to take that away from you."

My anger dwindled away and I found myself smiling. “Thank you, Arthur.”

"Well," Brynjolf finally spoke, "it’s getting late, and we have quite the trip ahead of us, Artemis." He pulled some coins from his pocket and tossed them on the table. "I’d say it’s time to go back and get some sleep now that this whole family drama is over with," he joked. 

The thought of sleep sounded welcoming and I yawned. “Sounds good to me.”


	19. In Brinewater Grotto,

"Now, there’s no need to do anything rash," the Argonian said with his hands up. "This isn’t as bad as it seems."

"Really?" I replied sarcastically. "It’s not looking great for you right now, Gulum-Ei."

"Start explaining," Brynjolf replied, "and you’d better do a damn good job."

"It was Karliah!" he nearly shouted. "She’s the one who’s behind all of this!"

I looked over at Brynjolf whose jaw had dropped. He regained himself and boy did he look pissed. He had never sheathed his daggers after dealing with the bandits, and now he was gripping them so tight his knuckles looked like they would burst.

"Who’s Karliah?"

"I’ll explain that later," Brynjolf answered. "You’re helping her?" he angrily asked Gulum-Ei.

"No! I didn’t know it was her! Please, you have to believe me!"

"What’s her plan?"

"I think she’s planning on going after Mercer. She wants to finish the job, I guess."

"Where is she now?"

"I- I don’t know! When I asked her, all she said was, ‘Where the end began.’" The lizard reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here," he said, handing it cautiously to Brynjolf, "take the Goldenglow Estate Deed as proof."

Brynjolf snatched the paper from him and put it in his own pocket. “You’d best watch your step from now on, Gulum-Ei.”

"I will. And when you speak to Mercer, tell him I’m worth more to him alive."

We were all done here, but Brynjolf hadn’t moved yet. “Come on. We’ve got to get back to the Guild,” I said, tugging on his arm. He took a step towards me, but his eyes never left Gulum-Ei. “Hey! Let’s go!” I pulled harder this time and managed to get him to focus on me. “Is there an easier way out of here?” I asked Gulum-Ei.

He pointed behind him, “There’s a lever that opens a secret door. It leads outside.”

I walked over to the lever with Brynjolf in tow and pulled on it. A portion of the rock wall began sinking into the ground and revealed a small cave that had three horkers in it. I groaned, I didn’t want to kill the horkers. I hated killing animals, especially ones that are somewhat peaceful.

"Think we could get by without them stabbing us with their horn things?"

Brynjolf shrugged, obviously not caring. He still looked upset and it made me wonder what exactly this Karliah chick did.

I sighed and continued on past the horkers. They paid us no mind and we managed to get out of the cave with no trouble. “So,” I began, turning towards Brynjolf, “should I ask now or later?”

"Later," he replied curtly.

I looked away disappointed. I didn’t want to wait until later to find out, but he was pissed and I didn’t want to make it worse by pestering him. 

We left Solitude and walked on the road for a few hours. I finally convinced him to stop for the night and set up camp. He had been quiet during the trip, but he no longer seemed as upset. Maybe I could ask him… won’t hurt to try.

I sat down by the fire and watched him as he pitched up the tents. “So,” I said, drawing out the “o,” “who’s Karliah?”

He finished putting up the tents and sat down next to me. “She was a Guild member 25 years ago. Her and Mercer were partners; every heist and break-in, they did together.”

"And let me guess, they fell in love."

He shook his head, “No, Karliah was involved with Gallus, the Guild Master before Mercer. The three of them went some place near Winterhold one day, and Mercer was the only one to come back,” he explained. He sighed and continued his story. “Karliah murdered Gallus and then tried to kill Mercer as well.”

"Why?"

He shrugged. “That’s a question I used to ask myself everyday, lass.”

"Why do you think she’s coming after the Guild now? I mean, it’s been a pretty long time since that whole ordeal happened."

"I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we stop her and make her answer for what she’s done," he answered.

"What does ‘Where the end began’ mean?"

"Mercer could probably figure that one out."

I reached out my hand and placed it on his. “We’ll fix this.”

He gave me a small smile and intertwined his fingers with mine. His skin was rough and calloused, but it felt gentle. 

"You know, the Guild wouldn’t be back on its feet if not for you, Artemis." His smile widened, "I’m glad you knocked me to the ground that night you were running from the guards." 

I chuckled and smiled back. I really am happy that I did too. Brynjolf gave me a job, friends, money, and a home. This man, this manipulative, caring, dishonest, loyal, thieving con-artist, had to be the best thing that happened to me.

I pulled my hand from his and wrapped it around the back of his neck, the other grabbed his shirt, pulling him to me. Our lips crashed together and it felt like fire. Not burning, but warm, like when you hold your hands in front of a fire. The fire flooded my body and I felt like I could just melt.

I could feel his heart beating on my hand, and as the kiss got deeper, his heart beat faster. I’m sure mine was doing the same, just twice as fast and three times as hard.

His hand inched its way to my lower back and pulled me under him, without breaking the kiss. I felt his body weight on me and it was… how do I explain it? Comfortable, that’s a good word for it, and it was driving me crazy. His hand left my back and began running up my side, making me shiver. He pulled his lips from mine and began kissing my jawline until he got to my neck.

"Wait," I gasped. "I- this is- I can’t… I’m sorry, I’m not," I stopped and sighed, "I’m not ready for this. Not yet. I’m sorry," I repeated.

He rolled off of me and sat up. I stayed laying flat on the ground, breathing heavy. He laid back down, next to me rather than on top of me this time, and turned his head towards me. I looked over at him expecting him to be upset for stopping it when I had been the one to start it, but he wasn’t. 

He reached down for my hand and smiled, “Never apologize for that. If you’re not ready, then you’re not ready.”

I smiled and squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

"For what?"

"For being… I don’t know… you. And not someone else."

He chuckled, “I try my hardest. You’re welcome.”


	20. In the Cistern,

“‘Where the end began’,” Mercer muttered to himself. “There’s only one place that could be. Snow Veil Sanctum, that’s where she murdered Gallus.”

"When are we leaving?" Brynjolf asked.

Mercer replied bluntly, “You’re not coming.”

"You’re going alone?"

Mercer shook his head and looked at me, and I’m pretty sure I saw a smirk. “No, she’s coming with me.”

I didn’t like the sound of this. “Why can’t Brynjolf come?”

"Because I need someone here keeping things running smoothly," he answered, crossing his arms. 

I sighed. “Fine. When are you and I leaving?”

"Leave as soon as you can. I have to gather my own things and I’ll meet you there."

"We’re not traveling together?"

"No."

I looked over at Brynjolf who didn’t look happy. “Mercer, can I talk to you?” Brynjolf asked.

"If you make it quick. I’d like to get going soon," Mercer replied.

Brynjolf looked over at me and forced a smile. “You should probably start packing now, lass,” he said.

"Alright, I can take a hint," I turned around and walked over to my bed, giving Brynjolf the privacy he wanted. I started packing some things and tried to hear what they were saying, but all I could hear was the sound of everyone else talking. I sighed and gave up. 

I looked over at the two of them, Mercer stood with his hands on his desk, looking up at Brynjolf. Brynjolf had his arms crossed and was leaning forward towards Mercer. I couldn’t tell if they were arguing or simply talking.

After a few minutes, I heard Mercer say, “…need to be careful with her.”

"What?" Brynjolf asked, his voice level rising.

"Don’t be stupid, Brynjolf. You two have become very close, everyone here can see that. The same thing happened between Gallus and Karliah, and you know how that turned out."

"Artemis isn’t Karliah," Brynjolf argued back.

"I’m not saying she is," Mercer replied, "I’m just telling you to be careful. I’ve known you a long time, Brynjolf. I don’t want to see you get hurt." That was the most thoughtful thing I had ever heard come out of Mercer’s mouth. I’m just not sure how genuine it was and I didn’t like the fact that it was about me hurting Brynjolf. 

"She won’t hurt me," Brynjolf said defiantly. 

Mercer sighed and rested a hand on Brynjolf’s shoulder. “For both your sakes, I hope not.”

Both our sakes? What’s that supposed to mean? Brynjolf turned around and started walking towards me and I quickly went back to packing. I doubt he’d be happy if he knew I was eavesdropping.

He sat down on my bed with a heavy sigh. “Everything alright?” I asked him.

"Everything’s fine," he lied. He dropped his voice level so only I could hear him, "I just don’t like the idea of you traveling by yourself, but Mercer claims that he needs the time alone to prepare."

"To be honest, I’d rather travel alone," matching his tone. 

He shook his head. “Snow Veil Sanctum isn’t right down the road, lass. It’s all the way up near Winterhold.”

"I’ve traveled alone before. I was on my own all the way from Bruma to Riften," I reminded him. "Besides, I can take care of myself."

He sighed, “I know.”

"Then don’t stress yourself out about it." I pushed my bag out of the way and sat down next to him. "What you should be worried about is what the Guild’s going to do with all the money we’re going to make after this mess is over," I said smiling.

He smiled back. “That’s true. With Karliah out of the way, there’s nothing stopping us from gaining our footing back.” 

I grabbed my bag and put it on my lap with a sigh. “Well, I’m all packed up. I guess I should get going.” I honestly didn’t want to go. Brynjolf and I had just gotten back from Solitude and I was looking forward to spending time with him and Arthur. The sooner this is all over, the sooner I’ll get that chance. 

"I’ll walk you out to the city gate," Brynjolf said. 

We both stood up and exited the Cistern through the not-so-secret secret entrance. When we got out into the city, Brynjolf slid his hand into mine and intertwined our fingers. I smiled to myself, enjoying this small gesture. It was nice strolling through the city, hand in hand, with no danger of being ambushed by bandits or wild animals. We soon made it to the gate, ending the walk too soon. 

We stopped and turned towards each other. He leaned down and kissed my forehead softly before saying, “Be back soon.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled him down so I could reach his mouth. The kiss was soft, but it was long. It probably would’ve been longer, but one of the guards at the gate cleared his throat and was looking at us. 

I chuckled and reached down for his hand. “I’ll be back before you even get a chance to miss me,” I said with a smile. I squeezed his hand before walking past the guards and through the gate.


	21. In Snow Veil Sanctum,

This place reeked of mildew and rotting flesh. I couldn’t wait to get out of here. 

I walked through the crypt, keeping my eyes ahead and my feet light. Mercer followed behind because, for some reason, he wanted me to lead. When I questioned why, he got all pissy and replied, “That’s funny. I was under the impression that I was in charge.” I couldn’t tell you how badly I wanted to punch him square in his big nose.

We came across one of those ancient Nord puzzle doors which, of course, was locked. I stood staring at the door trying to figure out how well lockpicks would work on it, but there was no need.

"These are normally impossible without the matching claw," Mercer said, pointing to the claw engraving on the center of the door. "Fortunately, these doors have a weakness if you know how to exploit it." He bent over slightly to get a better angle on the door, while blocking my view of whatever he was doing. He stepped back as the door began descending into the ground. He held out his hand and said, "Karliah’s close, I’m certain of it. Let’s keep moving."

I walked ahead of him and saw a large room that was mostly empty save for a few tombs and dead draugr. I took another step and suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder. I cried out and fell to my hands and knees. I looked up to see what hit me, but my vision began to blur and I couldn’t hold myself up anymore.

I laid flat on the ground and could barely make out anything near me. I heard Mercer’s footsteps next to me and his voice followed shortly after.

"Do you honestly think your arrow will reach me before my blade finds your heart?"

"Give me a reason to try," a soft voice replied.

I looked up as best I could to see who had answered. Everything was still blurry and my peripheral vision went black. I could see a petite figure, but that was it. I couldn’t make out the face, but my guess is that it was Karliah.

"You’re a clever girl, Karliah. Buying Goldenglow Estate and funding Honningbrew Meadery was inspired," Mercer said back. Did he not care that I had been shot and was probably dying right next to him?

“‘To ensure an enemy’s defeat, you must first undermine his allies.’ It was the first lesson Gallus taught us.”

"You always were a quick study."

"Not quick enough, otherwise Gallus would still be alive." Wait, what?

"Gallus had his wealth and he had you. All he had to do was look the other way." So, Mercer was the one who killed Gallus? Why? Brynjolf needs to know this. But how was I going to tell him? I don’t think I’m going to be leaving this tomb. 

"Did you forget the Oath we took as Nightingales? Did you expect him to simply ignore your methods?" Karliah asked, her voice rising.

"Enough of this mindless banter!" Mercer replied, unsheathing his sword. "Come, Karliah. It’s time for you and Gallus to become reunited."

Karliah vanished suddenly, leaving nothing but the sound of her footsteps and her voice which followed her. “I’m no fool, Mercer. Crossing blades with you would be a death sentence. But I can promise, the next time we meet, it will be your undoing.”

Mercer sheathed his sword and watched in the direction that she left in, then turned towards me. I felt my stomach clench up as he walked closer. I was going to die, here, where no one would find me.

He stood in front of me now, just looking at me. He knelt down and grabbed my chin so I’d have to look him in the eye. His rough fingers dug into my cheek, and I’m sure I was crying, but I couldn’t tell.

"How interesting," he finally spoke. "It seems Gallus’s history has repeated itself. You’ll die here, just like he did." His grip tightened. "Brynjolf will be heart broken to hear of your treachery. I’ll be sure to tell him how you’d been working with Karliah this whole time and that he was merely a tool to become closer to the Guild." He clicked his tongue. "I told the boy not to let his feelings blind him, but he didn’t listen." He let go suddenly and my head hit the stone floor. 

He stood up and took his sword back out. “You know, none of this would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for you. For that, I’ll grant you a quick death.”

He plunged his sword into me and everything went black.


	22. Outside Snow Veil Sanctum,

I shivered, feeling the cold air whip across my face. I slowly opened my eyes finding everything blurry still. I blinked hard a few times, and my vision began to clear. I was in a tent, lying on a bedroll with a blanket on top of me. I went to pull it off, but my arms felt numb. I clenched my fists a few times and I started to get feeling again. I pulled off the blanket and sat up. A sharp pain shot through my shoulder and my back. I winced and felt dizzy, but it passed. The breeze was coming in from the tent’s flap, it was left open, by who I’m not sure.

I crawled forward to open the flap further and dug my hands into the snow outside. I was in a campsite, but I don’t remember coming here. I looked around and found I was alone. I stood up and became dizzy again, only this time, it didn’t stop. I reached out for something to help me balance myself on but there was nothing there. I collapsed, but before I hit the ground, a pair of hands caught me.

"Easy, easy," a soft voice said. "Don’t stand up so quickly." That voice sounded familiar, but where have I heard it before? "How are you feeling?"

I put a hand on my forehead, hoping that somehow that’d help steady my head. “I feel like I’m going to puke if the damned world doesn’t stop spinning.”

She guided me to a rock and helped me sit down. “It’ll pass in a little while.” She lifted the back of my shirt for a few seconds, then dropped it. “That wound should heal fine. That will take a bit longer, however. Mercer dug his blade in deep.”

Mercer? “Wait a minute. You shot me!”

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I saved your life. My arrow was tipped with a unique paralytic poison. It slowed her heart and kept you from bleeding out. Had I intended to kill you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation." 

"Well, I’m glad for that, I guess. So, why’d you shoot me? Or rather, save me?"

"My original intention was to use that arrow on Mercer, but I never had a clear shot." She shrugged, "I made a split second decision to get you out of the way and it prevented your death."

"Thank you?"

She nodded curtly. “The poison on that arrow took me a year to perfect; I only had enough for a single shot,” she said, sounded slightly disappointed. She sighed, “I had hoped to capture Mercer alive.”

"Why?"

"Mercer must be brought before the Guild to answer for what he’s done. He needs to pay for Gallus’s murder."

I forgot about that! “I need to tell Brynjolf. He could be in danger too.”

Karliah shook her head. “If Mercer felt Brynjolf was a threat, he would have disposed of him a long time ago.”

This time, I shook my head. “We still need to get back there and make sure. The Guild needs to know and Brynjolf…” I can’t go back yet. Mercer said he was going to tell Brynjolf that I had betrayed the Guild. Brynjolf may not believe it at first, but what if Mercer manages to convince him? He also could’ve told the rest of the Guild; if I walked in there, I could easily be killed. “We need proof.”

"My purpose in using Snow Veil Sanctum to ambush Mercer wasn’t simply for irony’s sake. Before both of you arrived, I recovered a journal from Gallus’s remains. I suspect the information we need is written inside." 

"Then we just need to get back and show them."

"It’s not that simple." She sighed again. "The journal is written in some sort of language I’ve never seen before. No one would have any idea of what it said."

"There must be someone who could translate it."

She thought for a moment, then her purple eyes widened. “Enthir… Gallus’s friend at the College of Winterhold. Of course… He’s the only outsider Gallus trusted with the knowledge of his Nightingale identity.”

"You mentioned Nightingale to Mercer earlier. What’s a ‘Nightingale’?"

"There were three of us. Myself, Gallus, and Mercer," she replied. I had a feeling I was in for a huge backstory. "We were an anonymous splinter of the Thieves Guild in Riften. Perhaps I’ll tell you more about it later." So, no backstory then? "Right now, you need to head for Winterhold with the journal and get the translation."

"Your the one with the journal and you know the guy. Why am I the one having to find him?"

"I have a few things to do before I head up to Winterhold. I also would like to properly bury Gallus. He deserves something more than just this," she said, pointing to the ruins behind her. "I’ll meet with you as soon as I can."

I sighed. “Fine.” I walked over to the tent and found my armor. There was a slice in the back and a small cut in the shoulder and blood surrounded both. I shrugged and put it on slowly, being careful not to hit my back or move my arm too much. My bow, dagger, and pack were there as well. She may have shot me, but at least she didn’t steal my things.

I left the tent and began the long, cold trek up to Winterhold. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a while before I can get back to Riften.


	23. In the Cistern (Brynjolf's POV),

They should be back by now. I paced back and forth in front of the ladder leading out of the Cistern.

"They’ll come back, Bryn," Delvin said to me. "Nothing could stop Mercer, and your little Artemis could handle anything." I know it was meant to make me stop worrying, but it just made it worse.

"Delvin, it that were true, wouldn’t they be back now?" I replied, still pacing.

He sighed and shook his head. “Brynjolf, what does your gut tell you?”

I stopped and thought about it for a second. “It tells me that they should be back now.”

"I’m being serious," he said with a sigh.

"It tells me that something happened. Something’s wrong." I resumed pacing, but stopped again when I heard the entrance grinding open.

I stared at the ladder as Mercer came down, waiting for Artemis to follow. She didn’t.

"Where is she?"

Mercer turned to me, his head hung low. I stood in front of him, hands clenched, anticipating the worst. He finally looked up at me and rested a hand on my shoulder. “She’s dead, Brynjolf. I’m sorry.”

My jaw dropped, and though I expected his words, they still slammed into me full force. “How?”

Mercer didn’t answer right away, which worried me. “She showed herself to be a traitor, Brynjolf.”

"What?!" I shouted in disbelief.

"She’s been working with Karliah. I’m not sure if she had been with her from the beginning, but in the end, she was. When we finally reached Karliah, Artemis turned on me and attacked," Mercer replied, his voice eerily calm.

I ran my hands through my hair and closed my eyes. It can’t be true. “I don’t understand how she could’ve been working with Karliah.”

Mercer shrugged and crossed his arms. “Knowing Karliah, she could’ve contacted Artemis from anywhere and convinced her to betray us.”

"But why would she become close to me?" I asked, but I knew what he would say.

"She used your feelings to fool the guild. No one would’ve believed that she had been helping Karliah ruin the guild."

I shook my head, “I still can’t believe it. Artemis isn’t that kind of person.”

Mercer shook his head as well and sighed. “She used you, Brynjolf. She never showed her true colors, it was all a ploy. Think about it, how did she manage to infiltrate Goldenglow when Vex couldn’t? Karliah had to have helped her somehow. And the only reason she did everything the guild asked her to, even when it foiled Karliah’s plan was so she could keep up the guise. She is, or rather, was a clever girl. Karliah is going to have a harder time finishing what she started without her.”

My head was spinning, some of what Mercer said began making sense. I just couldn’t believe it though. Not yet. This was too much to take in at once.

I turned towards the ladder and began climbing up it. 

"Where you going, Bryn?" Delvin asked.

"I just… I need to…" I sighed again, what did I need? I didn’t even know. I climbed up the rest of the ladder without answering him.

I left the city walls and walked to the boulder where Artemis had poured out her past to me. I stood next to it and stared at the water. I closed my eyes and just listened to the water moving with the wind, hoping it’d clear my head. Instead, it just filled it with her. I could see every detail of her, her bright green eyes that usually had a loose strand of blonde hair dangling in front of them, her scar that ran from her eyebrow to her cheek, her perfectly straight nose that should’ve been too harsh for her face but wasn’t, her cheeks that always seemed to be blushing, her small lips that smiled at the littlest things.

All of that was gone. I’d never see it again. I blinked hard, my eyes began to sting with the threat of tears; I don’t even remember the last time I cried. I swallowed hard as I pulled my satchel from my hip. I opened it and grabbed the emerald necklace that sat inside underneath my septims and lockpicks. 

"What’s that?" a voice asked me. I didn’t bother turning around, I knew who it was.

"It was supposed to be Artemis’s." I tightened my grip on the necklace. "I was waiting for the right time to give it to her, but…" I sighed. "What do you want, Vex?"

"I wanted to make sure you weren’t out here drowning yourself." She stood next to me and looked out at the water.

"Obviously, I’m not," I replied curtly.

She shook her head and stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Brynjolf, we’re all worried about you.”

"Why?"

"Look at you! You look like you’re ready to fall apart."

"I just lost the woman I cared about and found out that she betrayed the guild," I said, my voice nothing more than a whisper. "I guess I should be looking at the bigger picture, eh? She was clearly a danger to the guild; I’m better off just letting it go."

"I, uh, guess." I saw her look at me from the corner of my eye, but I still didn’t turn to face her.

I looked down at the necklace then back at the lake. I suddenly felt very angry and threw the necklace deep into the water. “Let’s get back. We’ve got business to handle.”

Vex didn’t answer right away, she continued to stand there watching where the necklace landed. “I’ll be right there. You go on without me.”

"Alright," I said as I turned and left.

I’m better off. She was nothing more than a distraction, a danger.


	24. In the Frozen Hearth,

I walked through the doors of the inn, more than happy to get out of the cold. The inn was mostly empty save for the inn keeper, a woman sweeping the floor, and a high elf with half of his head shaved sitting at the table near the door.

I took a step towards the table and leaned against the wall. “Are you Enthir?”

He looked up at me with his eyebrow raised. “That depends. What do you want?” he asked, not intimidating, just curious.

I shoved my hands in my pockets; they were still suffering from the cold. “Karliah sent me,” I replied quietly. I wasn’t sure if any knew who Karliah was, and though there were only a few people in here, I figured discrepancy was best. 

His eyes went wide. “Karliah? Then she’s finally found it. Do you have Gallus’s journal?”

I pulled the book from my pack. “There’s a bit of a problem though.” I flipped through some of the pages before handing it to him.

He did the same and shook his head. “This is just like Gallus. A dear friend, but always too clever for his own good.” He sighed, “He’s written all of the text in the Falmer language.”

I didn’t even know the Falmer had a language. “Can you translate it?”

He shook his head, “No.” Dammit. “But I know someone who might. The court wizard of Markarth, Calcelmo, may have the materials you need to get this journal translated.” He slid the book into his own pack as he stood up from the table. “A word of warning. Calcelmo is a fierce guardian of his research. Getting the information won’t be easy.”

"It never is." Markarth is all the way on the other side of Skyrim. I’m not looking forward to that journey, not to mention I’ll be taking it by myself. Karliah could’ve came, but she was too worried about Gallus’s body, which I understand, but what about when she was done? It shouldn’t have taken that long.

I sighed and walked to the bar. ”I’d like a room for the night.” I’m in a hurry, but I’m not leaving when it’s already late in the afternoon.

"Sure thing. 10 Septims and it’s yours for the day." He held out his hand while I pulled out 10 gold from my purse and dropped them in his hand. "You can have that one there," he said pointing at the room on the left.

I thanked him and then walked back over to Enthir. “So, why do you think Gallus wrote his journal in Falmer? Seems like too much of a pain in the ass.”

He chuckled and handed me a piece of bread from his plate. “There’s only a handful of people in Tamriel that even recognize the language. I’m fairly certain he was planning some sort of heist that involved a deep understanding of the Falmer language.” His smile faded. “Sadly, we never had the opportunity to speak about the details.”

"How’d he even learn the language?"

"Ironically, I pointed him in the same direction I pointed you. To Markarth and Calcelmo. I’m only hoping that whatever means he used to learn the language will still be available to you."

I’m hoping too. I’ll be screwed if there’s no way to translate that journal. I’ll never be allowed back into the Guild; they probably all think I’m dead anyway. I frowned thinking about Brynjolf. I know Mercer’s told him that I betrayed the Guild and I know Brynjolf believed him. He has no reason not to. And what about Arthur? I wonder if he’s been told the same thing. He wouldn’t believe that I did anything wrong, but he may believe that I’m dead. Will he stay in Riften? Or will he leave and put himself in danger? 

I sighed and raked my hands through my hair. “This is a mess.”

Enthir nodded. “How did you get involved in this? I know Karliah’s story, but she’s never mentioned a fourth person being part of this. Are you new to the guild?”

I nodded. “I was recruited by Brynjolf about seven months ago. Most of my bigger jobs involved figuring out who was screwing the guild, which turned out to be Karliah. When Mercer discovered that she was holed up in Snow Veil Sanctum, he decided he was going to end it all and had me tag along with him. We found Karliah, but she shot me with a poisoned arrow and got away. Mercer ended up turning on me and left me for dead. He told me he was going to tell the guild that I had betrayed them and that he was forced to kill me. Karliah dragged me out of the ruin and told me what really had happened between her, Mercer, and Gallus. Then she directed me here to you and that’s where the story ends, for now.”

He shook his head. “So now this is personal, for both you and Karliah.”

"Yes. Mercer’s going to pay for what he’s done. I just hope that the guild realizes the truth and will let Karliah and I back in." I sighed again. "I just want everything back to the way it was."

He took a drink out of his mug and set it back down. “I understand.”

We spent the next few hours talking; I asked how he knew Gallus and Karliah, he asked how I had been recruited. He also asked if there was something going on between Brynjolf and I; I guess I unintentionally made it sound like there was. I didn’t really want to talk about that though, it just saddened me knowing that things may never go back to how they were between us.

Eventually he left to go back up to the college and I went to my room. I needed sleep for the long trek I had to make the next day.


	25. In the Flagon (Brynjolf's POV),

I walked over to the bar, my hands clenched in fists by my side. Arthur was sitting talking to Vekel, completely unaware of what was going on.

I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled my dagger out before he could react. I shoved his back against the bar, tankards and plates crashed to the floor.

"Brynjolf? What are you doing?" Vekel asked frantically.

I ignored him and brought the dagger to Arthur’s neck. “Why did you come here?” I growled.

"What is the matter with you?" His eyes were wide with shock, but not fear. His arm reached for the sword on his belt, but stopped when I pushed the dagger against his skin. "You know why I’m here! What’s going on?"

"Are you working with Karliah and Artemis?" I asked. The last name tasted like poison in my mouth.

"What are you talking about? Who’s Karliah?"

I stared at him hard for a few seconds, determining whether or not he truly had any part in this betrayal. “You don’t know anything,” I decided. I let him go and sheathed my dagger.

His hand was at his neck, feeling where my dagger had been. “What is going on?” he demanded.

I sighed. “Artemis… Artemis is gone.”

He stared at me, his face twisted in confusion. “What do you mean ‘Artemis is gone’?” 

"She’s dead." A knot formed in my chest.

His face lost its color as his eyes turned glassy. He raked his hands through his hair, something I’ve seen Artemis do often. He looked down at the ground, mumbling incoherently. His eyes lifted back up to me and, faster than I had expected, he tackled me to the ground, pinning my arms down.

"How? What happened?!" he shouted. Everyone else in the Flagon pulled out their swords and surrounded us.

"She betrayed the guild," I told him. "She tried to kill our leader!" I grew angry and my tone became harsh. "She’s betrayed all of us. She used us to help Karliah! She used me!” I felt my eyes beginning to sting.

Dirge pulled Arthur off of me while Delvin helped me up.

"Let go of me!" Arthur shouted as he pulled away from Dirge. "You! You’re going to tell me what happened!" Tears escaped his eyes as he pointed at me.

I ignored him and turned to go to the Cistern. 

"Where are you going?!"

"Let him go," I heard Vekel say.

"I need to know what happened," Arthur pleaded.

I heard footsteps and Delvin say softly, “I’ll tell you what happened,” as I walked through the door and slammed it shut behind me.


	26. In the Frozen Hearth,

I pushed the door open and stepped into the inn, thankful for its warmth. I thought about renting a room for the night, but decided to wait until after I spoke to Karliah, even though I could’ve passed out right then and there. Going through Calcelmo’s museum and laboratory wasn’t all that difficult, but the jump from the top of the tower into the water by the warrens? That just about killed me. My entire body ached, and though I had a long rest on the wagon ride back to Winterhold, I still was feeling the effects. I never knew how hard water can be.

I walked into the inn and past the bar; the barkeep merely glanced my way before focusing back on the rest of the inn. I walked down the stairs, carefully, and entered the basement. Karliah and Enthir were standing near a table in the back looking at Gallus’s journal.

As I approached, Karliah’s head shot up. “Did you get what we need?” she asked in her barely audible voice.

I reached into my satchel and pulled out the roll of paper.

"A rubbing, eh? Odd," he said as he took the roll from my hand. "I expected notes."

"So did I," I responded, "but apparently Calcelmo hasn’t bothered with that yet."

"Hmm. Alright, let me take a good look at this. It may take a bit, but I’ll try and translate it as fast as I can." Enthir walked around the table and flattened the paper on it. He dipped his quill in ink and began making notes on a separate paper. 

"Thank you, Enthir," Karliah said. 

I looked around for a chair and was disappointed to find there wasn’t one near me. I sighed and walked over to the wall and slid down it. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my arms across them. I took a deep breath and felt a dull pain in my chest that made me wince.

"Are you alright, Artemis?"

I nodded, “I’m fine. Just tired.” 

Karliah eyed me suspiciously and I knew she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t push the issue. 

I let my head fall onto my arms and closed my eyes. I don’t know when I drifted off to sleep, but when I woke up, I was drenched in sweat and my eyes felt raw.

Karliah was kneeling in front of me with her hands on my shoulders. She was shaking me softly. “Artemis? Artemis, wake up.”

I lifted my head and blinked a few times before my vision focused. I rubbed my eyes and felt that they were wet.

"Are you alright?" she repeated her question from earlier.

"Yes," I said as I pushed her away and stood up. "Have you finished translating the journal?" I asked.

"I’m on the last page, but I don’t think either of you are going to like what Gallus has written."

"Why? What does it say?" Karliah asked, her anxiety showing in her voice.

"It appears that Gallus had suspicions about Mercer’s allegiance to the guild for months," he said while looking at his notes. Gallus had begun to uncover what he calls an ‘unduly lavish lifestyle replete with spending vast amounts of gold on personal pleasures.’" 

Karliah interrupted him. “Does the journal say where this wealth came from?”

Enthir nodded at her and looked back down at the paper. “Gallus seemed certain that Mercer had been removing funds from the guild’s treasury without anyone’s knowledge.”

"Anything else, Enthir? Anything about," she paused. "About the Nightingales?"

Enthir placed his index finger on his notes and began scanning them. After a few seconds he stopped. “Yes, here it is. The last few pages seem to describe ‘the failure of the Nightingales.’ It doesn’t go into great detail, however.” He looked at the book and back at the notes. “Gallus also repeatedly mentions his strong belief that Mercer desecrated something known as the ‘Twilight Sepulcher,’” the last part ended with confusion in his voice. 

"Shadows preserve us," Karliah muttered. "So it’s true…" 

I looked over at Karliah whose eyes had gone wide. 

Enthir responded before I had a chance to ask her what she was talking about. “I’m not familiar with the Twilight Sepulcher. What is it? What’s Mercer Frey done?”

"I’m sorry Enthir," Karliah answered. "I can’t say. All that matters is we deliver your translation to the Guild immediately." She glanced at me, then back at Enthir. "Farewell, Enthir. Words can’t express…"

Enthir nodded softly. “It’s alright, Karliah. You don’t have to say a word.”

"So, we’re ready to go then? To show the Guild the truth?" I asked, feeling anxious suddenly.

"Yes. I’ll meet you in the Ragged Flagon," Karliah turned to me and pulled a blade out of her sheathe.

She held it out to me, and I took it from her hands. The blade wasn’t terribly heavy, but it was obviously very durable. The hilt was black and had some sort of bird with a circular design between its wings. “What is this?” I asked.

"It’s the Nightingale Blade. It belonged to Gallus, but I’m sure he would approve of my giving it to you, Artemis."

"There’s that word again," I said as I slid the sword into an empty loop on my belt. "What is a Nightingale? What is the Twilight Sepulcher?"

"You’ve come this far, so I see no harm in revealing to you the truth." Karliah went on to explain that the Nightingales were a trio, usually members of the Thieves Guild, who protect the Twilight Sepulcher. The Twilight Sepulcher is some temple dedicated to Nocturnal, who is the patron of thieves apparently. Her explanation was long winded and full of… well, full of things that I really didn’t pay attention to. I zoned out about halfway through.

Karliah left ahead of me after I thanked her for the sword, and before I opened the door leading to the rest of the inn, Enthir stopped me.

"Listen," he said softly, "all I want is the truth to be revealed to the guild. They respected Karliah, and she deserves better."

"I understand, Enthir."

"Do whatever you can and I’d consider it a personal favor, Artemis," his eyes were almost pleading.

"I will. I want to see this set right."

He nodded, “Thank you. If you’re ever in Winterhold, and you happen to have a few items you’re having a hard time getting rid of; I’d be more than happy to take them off your hands.”

I smiled and shook his hand. “Thank you, Enthir. For everything.”

I turned and left while taking a deep breath. This was going to be one interesting confrontation back in Riften.


	27. On the Road,

I left the inn of Winterhold and made my way down to Windhelm. The trip alone was quiet and I easily fell prey to my own thoughts. I tortured myself with different scenarios of what could happen once Karliah and I reached the Flagon.

Would Brynjolf believe us? Would he completely reject our attempt to reveal the truth? Would Mercer be there? Would Vex try to kill us? Would Brynjolf and I be able to get past this? Would things between us remain as they were before? Would it end?

All the way until I paid for a wagon ride in Windhelm back to Riften did these thoughts hound me and my sleep. Thankfully, the driver kept idle conversation with me throughout the trip, distracting me from myself.

When we finally reached Riften, I left the driver with a generous tip and thanked him for the ride. I turned towards the gate and pulled my hood up in an attempt to hide my face as best I could. Warily, I walked to the front gate. The guild had members within the city’s guards, and I wasn’t sure if they’d be on the lookout for Karliah and I. The guard to my right glanced at me, but did nothing, so I continued on.

I walked through the town and looked over at the market. Brynjolf wasn’t at his stall; I wasn’t sure if I should’ve been relieved or worried. I took a deep breath as I walked down the stairs and towards the Ratway. It had been a while since I had been in the Ratway and thankfully, it was still empty. As I entered the Flagon, I met up with Karliah, who was standing in front of the door.

"I’m glad you’re here," she said as she turned towards me. "I think they are beginning to suspect who I am. Are you ready to face the Guild?"

I sighed, No. "As ready as I’ll ever be. What if Mercer’s there?"

She simply shrugged. “Then we show them Gallus’s journal and hope for the best. Remember, we have proof, and all he’s got is his word.”

I shook my head, “That proof won’t help if we’ve got swords down our throats.” I sighed again, “Let’s just get this over with.”

I walked past her and over towards the Flagon. Dirge was standing in the center of the walkway to the Flagon, his usual spot, with one hand on his hip and the other gripping his dagger. 

I approached him but kept my head down. “Can we get by?” I asked.

His face, usually looking like he smelled something rancid, turned to shock. “Artemis? We heard you were alive and back in Riften. What do you want, traitor?” His stance stiffened and he raised his dagger slightly.

"Let me in, Dirge," I said, while placing my hand on my own dagger. "Don’t do something you’re going to regret," I growled in my most menacing voice.

He snorted. “You wouldn’t last two seconds against the whole Guild.”

I shoved by him and walked into the Flagon, which was mostly empty except for Tonilia and Vekel who were both at the bar. Vekel nearly dropped the glass he was cleaning, Tonilia just sat there looking surprised.

"Artemis?" Vekel rushed over to me. "When I’d heard you were alive, I couldn’t believe it. Neither could the rest of the Guild. Look, I- I’ll admit that I had believed Mercer when he’d told us you’d betrayed the guild, but you must have a good reason for risking coming back here with Karliah. Whatever you’ve come to do or say you’d best do fast. They’re ready to tear you apart, especially Vex."

I looked down at my feet, feeling ashamed; though I don’t know why. Maybe it was because everyone thought that I was a traitor; Dirge even called me that to my face.

I looked back up at Vekel, “What about Brynjolf?” I asked quietly.

His eyes became sympathetic, “He hasn’t been the same since Mercer told him that you’d died and betrayed the guild.” He looked away, and looked thoughtful for a moment. “He became… angry, hurt,” he said, thinking hard about his choice of words. “I think he was heartbroken.”

"Did he say anything when he heard I was back?" I asked, my voice sounding desperate. I felt desperate, desperate for any sign that he still cared about me.

Vekel shook his head, “Don’t ask me that, Artemis. Like I said, he’s not been the same. His reaction didn’t come from the Brynjolf that we all know.”

I felt my eyes stinging with the threat of tears. I blinked hard, forcing them to hold back. I knew I should’ve thanked Vekel for having even the slightest doubt of my “betrayal” and for warning me about the guild and Brynjolf, but I couldn’t. My throat felt tight, like it would tear if I tried to utter a sound.

I turned away from him and walked towards the cabinet leading to the Cistern as I motioned to Karliah to follow. The closer I got to the Cistern, the more anger filled me.

I muttered to myself, my whisper filled with rage and anguish, “Time to end this bullshit.”


	28. In the Flagon,

I stormed through the cabinet doors and was met by Ravyn and Garthar. They threw threats at Karliah and I, but I shoved them out of the way and pushed the door to the Cistern open.

Vex, Delvin, and Brynjolf stood at the opening, obviously expecting us. Vex looked more pissed than I had ever seen her, Delvin’s face was unreadable, and Brynjolf… he just looked shocked, but as we approached, that shock gave way to anger.

"You’d better have a damn good reason for showing your face here again, Artemis. And you brought back a murderer," he hissed, as he gripped his dagger until his knuckles were white.

I didn’t respond; I couldn’t. The malice in his voice felt like a knife in my heart and left a lump in my throat. I expected him to be angry, but I wasn’t prepared for his words.

Delvin even was taken aback by his response to our arrival, but he didn’t say anything.

I brought my eyes to his, they were surrounded by dark circles and bloodshot. I saw the same anger I heard in his voice, but there was something else there too. Something I couldn’t quite make out.

"Please," Karliah spoke with her hands up, "lower your weapons so we can speak. I have proof that you’ve all been misled!"

Brynjolf tore his eyes from mine to look at the dark elf who was coming from behind me.

"Proof?" His face faltered a bit. "No tricks, Karliah, or I cut you down where you stand," Brynjolf threatened. He sheathed his dagger and Delvin followed suit. "Now, what’s this so-called proof you speak of?"

Karliah moved past me and walked over to Brynjolf. “I have Gallus’s journal. I think you’ll find its contents disturbing.” She pulled Gallus’s journal from her pack, along with Enthir’s notes, and handed them to Brynjolf.

"Let me see." Brynjolf took the book and notes and began leafing through them, his face turning to disbelief. "No, it… it can’t be. This can’t be true. I’ve known Mercer too long… " He glanced at me, and his anger faded into confusion and regret.

"It’s true, Brynjolf, every word," Karliah said, bringing his attention back to her. "Mercer’s been stealing from the guild for years, right under your noses."

Brynjolf looked doubtful, “There’s one sure way to find out if what the lass says is true.” He turned to Delvin, “Delvin, I’ll need you to open the vault.”

"Wait just a blessed moment, Bryn," Delvin said while Brynjolf turned towards the vault. "What’s in that book? What did it say?"

"It says that Mercer’s been stealing from our vault and that Gallus had been looking into it before he was murdered," Brynjolf answered as he walked away from the group.

We all followed, Delvin walked faster to catch up to Brynjolf. “How can Mercer open up a vault that need two keys? It’s impossible,” Delvin exclaimed. “Could he pick his way in?”

Vex scoffed, “That door has the best puzzle locks money can buy. There’s no way it can be picked open.”

"He didn’t need to pick the lock," Karliah piped in from behind.

"What’s she on about?" Delvin asked as we approached the vault.

"Use your key on the vault, Delvin. The sooner we open it, the sooner we find out the truth," Brynjolf ordered.

Delvin pulled out a key from a pocket on his armor and twisted it in the door. “Alright, I’ve used my key, but that door’s still locked up tighter than a drum. Now use yours.”

We all stood back a respectable distance as Brynjolf copied Delvin’s actions. He pushed the doors in, and before they were opened all the way, he shouted, “By the Eight! It’s gone! Everything’s gone! Get in here, all of you!”

He finished opening the heavy doors as we all rushed in behind him. The room was lined with chests, and every one of them was open and empty. Numerous tables were scattered throughout, and only a handful of insignificant weapons rested on them.

"The gold, the jewels… it’s all gone!" Delvin held his hands on top of his head, completely dumbfounded.

I looked over at Brynjolf once again, and he looked just as shocked. I don’t think he believed that Mercer had actually stolen anything from the guild. He had still trusted him. His mouth was open, and he looked as if he was trying to say something, but didn’t know what to say.

"That son of a bitch. I’ll kill him!" Vex shouted.

"Not now, Vex," Brynjolf uttered in annoyance. "We can’t afford to lose our heads… we need to calm down and focus."

By the looks of it, they couldn’t afford anything at the moment.

Delvin and Brynjolf continued talking to Vex to calm her down, and eventually she subdued and crossed her arms over her chest with a pout on her face.

Brynjolf pinched the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. “Alright, Delvin, Vex… watch the Flagon. If you see Mercer, come tell me right away.”

Delvin and Vex hurried out of the room and left the Cistern. Karliah and I followed Brynjolf as he left the vault. He walked over to Mercer’s desk and rested his hands on it.

I stood in front of him with my arms crossed, while Karliah stood by me.

"Karliah, can I have a moment with Artemis?" he asked softly.

She looked between the two of us, and I’m sure the tension was visible. “Of course,” she replied, and walked away.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Lass… Artemis… I-“

He couldn’t seem to gather his thoughts, so I spoke for him.

"Save it, Brynjolf," I interrupted harshly. "I don’t want to hear it now, we’ll talk about it later. Let’s deal with the situation with the guild first." I hadn’t meant to sound so pissy, but at this point, I couldn’t have cared less.

He closed his mouth, holding back whatever he was about to say. “I, uh, fine. Business first,” he muttered. “I need to know everything you learned from Karliah. And I mean, everything.”

I pushed down the lump in my throat and took a deep breath, hoping to quell the ache in my chest for the moment. I shared with him what I could remember Karliah telling me; Karliah was behind the whole Goldenglow Estate and Honningbrew Meadery deal, Mercer killed Gallus, the three of them were Nightingales, and the Nightingales had something to do with Nocturnal and something called the Twilight Sepulcher.

He had a few comments here and there while I told him everything, but none of them were of any import.

"Was there anything else?"

"No," I replied shortly.

"Then I have an important task for you."


	29. In the Cistern,

I entered the Cistern through the graveyard entrance and looked around. Every entrance and even the practice room was being watched by members of the guild. Brynjolf was still by the desk, leaning over it while speaking with Thrynn.

As I approached, their conversation stopped and he waved Thrynn away. “We’ve scoured the city and talked to all the contacts we have left. There’s been no sign of Mercer.” He sighed, “Did you find anything at Mercer’s?” Brynjolf asked me.

I pulled the plans I had found out of my pocket and placed it on the desk. “I found this on a desk in Mercer’s basement. It was out in the open; he wanted us to find this,” I said calmly. I had a bit of time to cool down while looking through Mercer’s house, and it allowed me to see that it’d be best to keep everything professional until this business was done. “We’re walking into a trap.”

Brynjolf stared at the paper in shock, then shook his head, “I know, but we have to go after him. These are the plans Gallus had come up with to find the Eyes of the Falmer. It was his pet project,” he said with a tone of melancholy. “If Mercer gets a hold of these, he’d be set up for life. We’d never find him.”

I turned the paper towards me and smoothed my hand over it. “Irkngthand,” I muttered to myself. I looked over the plans, reading each note and mentally gawking at the apparent size of the ruin.

“I’ve spoken with Karliah and made amends for how the guild’s treated her. She asked to speak with both of us when you returned,” he said, interrupting my thoughts.

I nodded and turned to look for Karliah, who conveniently was standing in the middle of the Cistern. I began walking towards her and heard paper crinkling and footsteps behind me.

“The time has come to decide Mercer’s fate, and until a new Guild Master is chosen, that decision falls to you, Brynjolf,” Karliah said slightly over-dramatically, or at least I thought.

“Aye, lass” and I’ve come to a decision.” His eyes grew sad, “He tried to kill you,” he looked at me, “both of you.” He looked back at Karliah, “He’s betrayed the guild, murdered Gallus, made us question our future, and he framed both of you for his actions. He needs to die.” I nodded in agreement, as did Karliah.

“We need to be very careful,” Karliah warned, “Mercer’s a Nightingale, an Agent of Nocturnal.”

“Then it’s all true…” Brynjolf muttered. “Everything I heard in the stories; the Nightingales, their allegiance to Nocturnal, and the Twilight Sepulcher.”

Maybe I should’ve paid more attention when Karliah was explaining what the Nightingales were; I’m still confused about the whole Nocturnal thing.

“Yes,” Karliah confirmed, “that’s why we need to prepare ourselves and meet Mercer on equal footing.”

“How exactly are we supposed to do that?” I asked.

“We’ll meet at the Nightingale Hall and everything will be explained there,” she responded, leaving my question unanswered. “Just outside of Riften, beyond the Southeast Gate is a small path cut up the mountainside. At the end of that path is a small clearing and an old standing stone,” she explained. “This is where the hall lies.”

“We should leave now,” I said urgently.

“I will leave now,” Karliah said, “but… ” She looked over at Brynjolf, then back at me.

I looked pointedly at Brynjolf and said, “I said we’d talk after this,” my professional façade falling.

Brynjolf stepped closer to me and lowered his head. “I can’t wait until after this is all over, Artemis. I don’t know how long it’ll take us to find Mercer, so I don’t know how long I’d have to wait for us to talk.”

I sighed, heavy and irritated. “Fine, if its bothering you so much, we can talk now.”

“Is it not bothering you?” he asked, sounding hurt.

“I… yes, but… ” I stopped and looked around, seeing that numerous members were watching us. “Can we not do this here, at least?”

He nodded, but didn’t move. I sighed and began walking towards the Flagon, but stopped suddenly. I turned around and remembered that Karliah and I had been in the Flagon, but I hadn’t seen… “Where is Arthur?”


	30. In the Cistern (still),

I stood in front of Brynjolf with my arms crossed over my chest. “Well?” I asked, waiting impatiently for him to answer.

He sighed heavily, “He left. He’s gone back to Cyrodiil.”

"What? Why?" Why would he just leave? That didn’t sound like Arthur.

"Talk to Vekel about that," he replied shortly.

"Did he know what happened?"

Brynjolf shrugged, “I told him you were dead, but I don’t know if anyone told him anything else. I hadn’t talked to him since the day Mercer came back.”

So he thought I was dead, or rather that I am dead. I sighed heavily and raked my hands through my hair. “I have to find him before he makes it back to Cyrodiil.”

“We still have to finish this here,” Brynjolf said, exasperated. “Send him a letter, tell him to come back, but you can’t just leave.” He looked at me through hooded eyes and said, “I just got you back.” His voice was so low, I wasn’t sure if he had meant to say it out loud.

"Brynjolf, I-" I took a step closer to him, and noticed his hand lift slightly towards me, but fell back to his side. I wanted to reach out to him, take his hand and tell him I forgive him, that I know he was just upset, but part of me was still bothered by the fact that he looked at me with such hate. "I’ll send him a letter," I replied, knowing that I couldn’t leave now.

I looked back at the Flagon, desperately wanting to talk to Vekel and find out if Arthur told him anything, but that would have to wait. “Come on,” I said as I walked towards the ladder leading out to Riften. “We can talk on the way.”

He followed me up the ladder, and as I pulled the chain to close the entrance, his hand grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his cheek on my head. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. He straightened his neck so he could look me in the eyes. “I am so sorry.”

I stared back in his eyes, and I could see the hurt, the regret, the confusion. “Why?” I asked him, my voice just as soft. “Why did you look at me like I was the most vile thing you had ever seen?”

He flinched slightly at my choice of words and shook his head. “I had been so…conflicted since Mercer came back. He told me you betrayed us and that you were working with Karliah. Then he told me you were dead, that he had killed you. That… that felt like my chest had been set on fire. I was so angry, but I didn’t know what to be angry at. I couldn’t believe that you had betrayed the guild, and I couldn’t believe that you had attacked Mercer, but I had no reason to not believe him. Eventually, I did.”

He took a deep, shaky breath and continued. “I felt like you had used me, like I was just a tool to get close to the guild. When I heard you were in Riften, I nearly flew into a rage. I was ready to plunge my dagger in you when you stepped foot in the Cistern.” He looked down at the floor, shame filling his features. “I am so sorry, Artemis,” he repeated. His arms released me and fell to his sides.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. Do I tell him I forgive him? Do I really forgive him? I could see how much he regretted what he did, but… would I be that girl that just forgave whatever was done to her simply because she was told they were sorry? I had been in that position before, I had been that girl, and I didn’t want to go back to that.

I sighed and opened my eyes. “I need time to think about this, Brynjolf.” I watched to see his reaction, but there wasn’t much to see. He just blinked and nodded. “We should get to Karliah,” I said as I began walking out of the graveyard.


	31. Outside Nightingale Hall,

Karliah stood in front of a large boulder, her hands tangled behind her back. She looked up as we approached, her eyes scrutinizing us. I didn’t know Karliah well, but I could tell she was a nosy Dunmer, not in the rude and obnoxious way, she just liked to know what was going on with those she was working with. 

"So, uh, is this supposed to be your headquarters?" I asked skeptically.

Karliah nodded, “This is Nightingale Hall,” she said proudly. “It was cut into the mountain by the first of our kind.”

"So, there’s an inside?" I thought maybe they just sat around the rock.

She looked at me and rolled her eyes, “Yes, there’s an inside.” 

"What exactly is on the inside, lass?" Brynjolf asked. "Why are we here?"

"We’ve come to seek the edge we need against Mercer," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest as a cool breeze blew by them. 

I eyed her wearily, “What kind of edge?” This was all too secretive for me, I wasn’t sure I trusted this.

"I’ll explain on the way," she answered as she turned towards a crevice in the mountain. My distrust deepened. 

Brynjolf and I followed her into the niche which led to an old wooden door. How was this not found yet? People in the Thieves Guild seem to lack the ability to hide their entrances; they’re lucky no one’s found anything. The door led to a cave-looking hallway, which made me wonder just what was so special about this place. 

"So," Brynjolf said behind me, "this is Nightingale Hall?" He didn’t sound impressed, but confused.

"There’s more deeper in, right?" I asked, hoping that this wasn’t just full of rock and dirt.

"Yes, there’s much more inside," she said softly.

We continued to follow her and eventually found the actual “hall” part of it. 

"This is Nightingale Hall," Karliah announced. "You’re the first of the uninitiated to set foot inside in over a century."

"I’d heard about this place when I had first joined the guild, but I never believed it existed," Brynjolf said in awe.

"The assumption that the Nightingales were just a myth was seeded within the guild on purpose. It helped avert attention from our true nature," Karliah explained.

"What exactly is your true nature?" I questioned.

"You’ll find out soon enough," she said vaguely. She looked back at us over her shoulder. "What’s wrong, Brynjolf? I can practically hear your brow furrowing."

I glanced behind me and saw the confused look on his face. “I’m trying to understand why we’re here, lass. What are we doing?”

"We’re going to stop Mercer."

"I understand that, but what are we doing here?"

We began crossing over a wooden bridge which led to a flat area with a hall leading off of it. To our right were three banners, all of which had a bird of some sort with a circle between its wings.

"It is my hope that you two will be accepted as Nightingales. We need to go to the armory to don your Nightingale Armor, and then we can begin the Oath," she responded.

I stopped and stared at her. “What ‘Oath’? I didn’t agree to take some ‘Oath’ for something I know nothing about. You could’ve explained this sooner rather than throwing this at us and acting like we have no choice,” I accused.

Karliah let out an exasperated sigh. “We need Nocturnal’s favor if we wish to fight Mercer and win. She’ll only grant us that if she has two new Nightingales to replace those that came before you.”

I still stood in place, not taking a single step forward. “So, what, we pledge ourselves to this… what is she?”

"A Daedric Prince."

"We’re seeking the aid of a Daedric Prince? Are you- Why?" I couldn’t believe it; we were about to give ourselves to a Daedra. 

Karliah shook her head, “You don’t understand. Nocturnal is a patron to all thieves, she influences our luck. She doesn’t directly involve herself in our affairs, but we need that extra luck to go against Mercer.”

Nothing comes without a cost. “What is she expecting in return?”

Brynjolf decided to pipe in, “This needs to be discussed before we agree to anything, lass,” he said, reinforcing my own words. 

She nodded, “You are right, she does want payment. For what we are given, the payment is minor.”

"Dammit, Karliah! Can you stop with the stonewalling, and just tell us what in Oblivion we have to do?" I berated.

She flinched slightly at my outburst, but continued on. “In both life and death, you must serve as a guardian of the Twlight Sepulcher.” 

She said something about the Twilight Sepulcher before, but I couldn’t remember what exactly she had said. “Which is…?”

She shook her head in annoyance, “The Twilight Sepulcher is home to the Ebonmere, which is a portal that leads to the Evergloam; Nocturnal’s realm in Oblivion. For agreeing to protect this, Nocturnal rewards us with various abilities that aid us in our endeavors.”

She looked back and forth between Brynjolf and I, waiting for a response. When she received none, she asked, “Would you be willing to take the Oath, now knowing what you will be given, and what you must give?”


	32. In Nightingale Hall,

I sighed, not entirely comfortable with giving my soul to a daedra, but my need for revenge was stronger than my morals at the moment. It was Mercer who drove this wedge between Brynjolf and I. 

"Fine," I said after a few moments, "I’ll pledge myself to this ‘Nocturnal’. What about you, Brynjolf?"

He looked at me with a bit of surprise, but finally nodded. “Yes, if this is what we have to do to get Mercer, then so be it.”

"Good," Karliah approved, "The armory is over here. You’ll both have to don the Nightingale Armor if Nocturnal is to accept you as her Nightingales."

We followed Karliah into the small room; three pedestals stood in the center of the room, each one with a banner hanging over top it. 

"Stand in front of one of the pedestals," Karliah commanded.

We each took a spot in front of one, I was in the middle; Brynjolf and I looked at each other confused. Karliah mumbled something and suddenly, three sets of armor appeared on each of the pedestals. 

"Well, isn’t that handy?" I said with a smile. I lifted the chest piece and traced the intricate designs that decorated it. "These are beautiful," I muttered to myself. I unstrapped my own armor and began taking each piece off until I was standing in nothing but my tight-fitting tunic. I put on the Nightingale armor as fast as I could; it wasn’t exactly warm in the hall. 

I put the cowl on over my head and lifted the mask. I felt a little silly having my face covered, but I was sure I looked like a complete bad-ass. I held my hands out in front of me and examined my arms, and looked down the rest of my body, trying to get a picture of what I looked like.

"You all done?" I asked, still looking at myself.

"Yes."

"You can turn around now, lass."

I turned around and nearly gasped; Brynjolf looked… “By the Gods,” I said quietly. The armor hugged his body perfectly; it covered everything, but it still showed off every muscle. Even if I was still upset with him, I couldn’t deny how good he looked. I managed to pry my eyes off his body long enough to find that he was staring at me. I blushed and was very grateful for the mask. 

Karliah cleared her throat, pulling our attention away from each other. “If you’ll both follow me,” she said, leading us away from the pedestals. She took us down another hall and into a small opening lined with braziers. 

"All right, Karliah, we’ve got the armor on," I said holding my arms out,"what happens now?"

"Beyond this gate," she motioned behind her, "is the first step in becoming a Nightingale. I will summon Nocturnal, and then you two will transact the Oath. Are you both ready?"

I nodded, “Yes.”

"Aye, lass."

"All right. Brynjolf, you stand on the eastern circle, and you stand on the western one, Artemis." She turned towards the gate and pulled the chain to lower it.

"This is enough to make your head spin, eh, Artemis?" Brynjolf asked, touching my arm briefly.

I nodded, “I’m a little nervous, to be honest. I mean, we’re dealing with a Daedric Prince, and that almost never turns out well.”

"I know, but I trust Karliah."

"I do too, but still."

Brynjolf and I passed through the gate and stepped onto a large circular area, which broke off into three paths, each with a glyph of Nocturnal’s symbol on the end. Karliah was already standing on her spot, and before we left to stand on our own, I turned to Brynjolf. 

"Brynjolf, while I trust Karliah, I don’t trust this," I whispered to him, not wanting Karliah to hear. "The more I think about it, the more I… I don’t know if I can do it." 

His strong hands rested on my shoulders and he leaned close to me, matching my tone. “You can, Artemis. We have to if we want revenge on Mercer, and… ” He paused and looked down at the ground before looking back up at me. “We both have very good reasons to want revenge.” 

I sighed, “You’re right.” He usually is. I turned away from him, but his hand found mine before I could walk away. He gave it a small, comforting squeeze before letting go.

I walked across the path and stood on the glyph. Karliah raised her hands above her head and began shouting, “I call upon you, Lady Nocturnal, Queen of Murk, and Empress of Shadow. Hear my voice!”

The room grew dark suddenly, and large orb of purple, smoke-like, appeared in the center of room. 

"Ah, Karliah," a deep, female voice answered. "I was wondering when I’d hear from you again. Lose something, did we?" she asked mockingly.

"My lady, I’ve come to throw myself upon your mercy and to acept responsibility for my failure," she said, while kneeling on the ground.

I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to kneel with her, but Brynjolf wasn’t, so I didn’t.

"You’re already mine, Karliah. Your terms were struck long ago. What could you possibly offer me now?" the voice patronized.

Karliah pointed a hand at Brynjolf and I. “I have two others that wish to transact the Oath; to serve you both in life and in death.”

Nocturnal sounded impressed, “You surprise me, Karliah. This offer is definitely weighted in my favor.”

"My appetite for Mercer’s demise exceeds my craving for wealth, Your Grace."

"Revenge? How interesting… " A few moments of silence passed before Nocturnal continued. "Very well, the conditions are acceptable. You may proceed."

Karliah rose, “Lady Nocturnal, we accept you terms. We dedicate ourselves to you as both your avengers and your sentinels. We will honor our agreement in this life and the next until your conditions have been met.”

I looked over at Brynjolf with a worried frown on my face that he couldn’t see, but I guessed he probably knew. He nodded encouragingly and turned back towards Nocturnal.

Purple light began illuminating on each of the glyphs, surrounding us. ”Very well. I name your initiates Nightingale,” Nocturnal said approvingly, “and I restore your status to the same, Karliah. And in the future, I’d suggest you refrain from disappointing me again,” she warned. 

The purple smoke and light dissipated and the room returned to how it was before. I quickly stepped of the glyph and stared at it. I felt… completely the same as I did before. The three of us met in the center, and they looked the same too. 

"Um, I thought this was supposed to do something," I said.

"Nothing will change until we fix what Mercer’s done," she responded. "He’s done more than just betray the guild. He betrayed Nocturnal."

She went on to explain that he stole something called the “Skeleton Key”, which apparently unlocks any chest without ever breaking, it also unlocks the potential of your mind, but I didn’t understand that part. The only way to receive Nocturnal’s benefits was to return the Key to the Sepulcher. 

"I will meet you back at the Cistern, where we can gather what we need before we depart to Irkngthand," she said with a small wave of her hand and walking out of the room, leaving Brynjolf and I alone.

"Before we leave, Artemis, I need to talk to you," he said without the melancholy he had the last time he told me that. His tone became business-like, "We need to discuss the leadership of the guild."

I looked at him puzzled, “Why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t you talk to Vex or Delvin about this?”

He shook his head and pulled his hood and mask down, revealing his face. I followed suit. “No. I was Mercer’s second-in-command, but I never expected to take leadership of the guild. I didn’t want that power then, and I still don’t, but it’s my duty to step up and take it. I’d like you to be my second-in-command.” He stepped closer, but left a respectable distance between us, “Only if you want to be,” he said with a small smile.

"But I haven’t been in the guild for that long. And wouldn’t the others think that you’re playing favorites?"

"They all respect you, Artemis. They’d approve of your… promotion." He took another step closer and took my hands in his. "Please?"

"I… I don’t know if I can." I looked down. "No, you need to give it to someone who will be there."

"What do you mean?"

I looked back up at him, “I have to leave after we take care of Mercer. I need to find Arthur… and I need to see my family.” I pulled my hands out of his. “They need to know the truth, and I need to stop running.”

He stared at me, completely bewildered. “Y- you can’t leave. We’re your family too, Artemis. I thought you were just going to send a letter.”

"I did, but a letter isn’t enough. If we didn’t have to deal with Mercer, I’d have left already," I admitted. "And, I know the guild’s my family, but they’re my flesh and blood. I can’t just pretend they don’t exist."

"Will you come back?"

I looked away from him, “I- I don’t know.”

He opened his mouth, but closed it before he said anything. I expected him to storm off, or become angry, but he just looked… stoic. “Twice,” he said softly.

"What?"

"Twice, you’ve broken my heart, Artemis."


	33. In Nightingale Hall (still),

My own heart sank at his words and I didn’t know how to respond; thankfully, Brynjolf continued speaking.

"I’m a selfish man," he said with a sad smile, "I don’t want you to go." He took a deep breath and met my eyes, "But I know you have to."

My eyes widened in shock, “I- I’m… Thank you for understanding. I didn’t think you’d be… “

"I’m not a bad person, Artemis," he interrupted while taking my hand in his and placing a soft kiss on it. His hand moved to my shoulder, "Karliah will be waiting for us. We should get back to the Cistern."

"Yes," I said quietly, my head lowered slightly, "we should." I began feeling… guilty. I knew my reasons were enough to justify leaving, but it felt wrong. I sighed silently as we walked through the hall and back outside. 

Eyes followed Brynjolf and I as we made our way through the Cistern; they were curious and confused. Karliah had her supplies packed and was waiting for us by the desk. “Get your gear around and we’ll leave,” she gently commanded. 

I left for my bed and began packing my things. Each item sent a wave of nostalgia through me, though I wasn’t even packing to leave for Cyrodiil. This is the last time I pack for the guild, I thought sadly. Next time, it won’t be for money, it’ll be to leave. For good. My eyes began to sting with the threat of tears. This is my family. 

A gentle hand rested between my shoulder blades, and I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. “I’m almost done,” I said.

"Are you okay, Artemis?" 

I took a deep, shaky breath. “Yes. I’m just trying to prepare for the battle we’re going to have with Mercer. Do you think we have a chance?” I asked, still not turning.

"Heh, if you had asked me that yesterday, I’d have said there was no way in Oblivion. But now… I think we do; I trust Karliah and I don’t think she’d have gone through all this trouble if she didn’t believe we did." He took my shoulders and turned me towards him. His tone grew softer, "But that’s not what’s bothering you."

I hated when it felt as if he could read my mind. I shook my head and smiled, “You need to teach me that.”

"Teach you what?"

"How to read people’s minds." Suddenly, without thinking, my arms reached up and wrapped around his neck, pulling our bodies together in a tight embrace. He stiffened at first, surprised, but soon his own arms snaked around my waist. We stood like that for a few moments, until I pulled away and looked down at my bed where my things were scattered. My eyes locked onto my bow, and with caressing hands, I picked it up. I ran my fingers down it, then firmly grasped it; this bow was part of my family, the family back in Cyrodiil.

"Artemis?"

I reached behind me and situated it onto my back. “We need to get going,” I replied with a kind smile. I packed the rest of my things and looked up at Brynjolf. “Come on.”

I stepped in front of him and met Karliah at the desk with Brynjolf behind me. “Are you ready?” I asked.

"I am. Have you both prepared?"

I nodded, “Yes. I think I am.”

Brynjolf gave me a confused look, then turned back to Karliah. “Aye, lass. It’s time Mercer paid for his crimes.”

"All right. Then we leave at once. We’ll travel together to Irkngthand, and then… Mercer meets his fate."


	34. In Irkngthand,

Entering the Dwemer ruin had been easy; there were only a few bandits and they had been scattered throughout the area. To be honest, I was nervous at the idea of traveling through the ruin; I had heard stories of the Falmer, and I wasn’t eager to meet them. Luckily, there hadn’t been any in the first level. The second one; however, had been filled with the wretched things. We opted to sneak by as many as we could, but their senses were strong and we had a few skirmishes with them.

The trek through the ruin was long and exhausting, but when we stood behind the door that led to Mercer, all our energy was renewed. The door was the only thing that stood between us and revenge.

"Are you ready?" Karliah asked in her soft voice.

I nodded, “Beyond.”

"It’s time to end this," Brynjolf replied. He pushed open the door and we followed him onto the landing.

The area was dominated by a massive statue of what I assumed to be a Falmer, or rather a Snow Elf. “By the Gods,” I whispered.

Mercer stood on the statue and was prying the huge crystals that made up the eyes. “I don’t believe he’s seen us yet,” Karliah muttered. “Brynjolf, watch the door.”

He nodded, “Aye, lass. Nothing’s getting by me.”

She turned her head towards me and nodded towards the stairs, “Climb down that ledge and see if you can-“

"Karliah," Mercer called, "when will you learn you can’t get the drop on me?" He raised one of his hand above his hand and sent a shockwave through the room.

The ground under my feet began to crumble and fell with me still on it. 

"Artemis!" Brynjolf shouted. I turned towards him as he moved to jump down but stopped. He appeared paralyzed, but could still move his head. "Wha- I can’t move!" He looked down and then upwards past me. "Mercer!" he hissed before returning his eyes to me with more worry and fear than I had ever seen from him.

I turned around and saw that Mercer had moved closer. “When Brynjolf brought you before me, I felt a sudden shift in the wind,” he began his monologue. “And at that moment, I knew it would end with one of us at the end of a blade.” 

"Again with the long villain speech?" I teased, trying to hide my own fear. "Give me the Key, Mercer."

He shook his head, “What’s Karliah been filling your head with? Tales of thieves with honor? Oaths rife with falsehoods and broken promises? Nocturnal doesn’t care about you, the Key, or anything having to do with the Guild,” he spat. 

"At this point, I don’t give a damn about oaths or promises. I just want your head," I threatened. 

"Revenge is it? Have you learned nothing from your time with us. Artemis?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "When will you open your eyes and realize how little my actions differ from yours? Both of us lie, cheat, and steal to further our own end."

"I never betrayed the people I cared about," I shot back.

He raised a brow, “Haven’t you? You lied to your brother for how long? You kept your whole past from Brynjolf. Neither of you care about the other as much as you think; if you did, then you would’ve come clean sooner, and he wouldn’t have been so quick to believe your treachery.”

I looked back at Brynjolf who was glaring dagger at Mercer. “You’re wrong, Mercer.”

"No, I’m not." Shaking his head, Mercer pulled out his sword, "Enough. It’s clear none of your will ever see the Skeleton Key as I do, as an instrument of limitless wealth. Instead, you’ve chosen to fall over your own foolish code."

"If anyone’s falling, it’s you," I said while pulling my bow off my back. 

"Then the die is cast, and once again my blade will fast Nightingale blood!" Once again, he raised his hand and I readied myself for another blast of force, but this time, whatever he did was directed to Brynjolf. "Karliah, I’ll deal with you after I rid myself of your irksome companions. In the meantime, perhaps you and Brynjolf should get better acquainted."

I turned around and saw Brynjolf attacking Karliah, “Brynjolf!”

His face was contorted in failed restraint, “I- I can’t stop, lass!”

"Fight it, Brynjolf!" Karliah pleaded. "He’s taken control of you!"

"I’m trying!"

I pulled an arrow from my quiver and nocked it before turning around and releasing it where Mercer had been standing. He wasn’t there, though. He wasn’t anywhere. “Come out and fight, coward!” I shouted while scanning the area, hoping to see any ripple in the air. 

He reappeared atop the shoulder of the statue. “I never had a chance to see your marksmanship, but Brynjolf spoke of it often. Why not show me now?”

I grabbed another arrow and shot at him, but just as I let go, he vanished again. This time, I could see the distorted image he made and shot towards him again. 

"Dammit!" he shouted as he showed up again, holding his left arm where the arrow landed. He broke the end of it and ran towards me. "You wanted a fight, now you’ve got it."

I released more arrows at him, but he managed to dodge or block the with his sword. In a few moments, he was standing right in front of me aiming his sword at my heart. “This time, you won’t come back to life,” he threatened threw gritted teeth.

I dropped my bow and pulled out my own sword. I managed to block his initial attack and the next few that followed, but he did land a blow to my left hip. I cried out in pain, but gathered my focus back to him. I began pressing towards him, forcing him to step back. Using my momentum, I threw my weight at him and knocked him to the ground. 

This was it. It was over. I drove my sword through his chest and twisted it as it went in deeper. 

"No," he choked out before releasing another burst of energy that sent me flying into the rock wall behind me.

My head smacked against the stone with a sickening thud and my vision was black.


	35. Escaping Irkngthand (Brynjolf's POV),

A blast of force caused me to crash into the door Karliah and I stood in front of. The collision knocked the wind out of me, but I finally had control over my own movements again. The room began to rumble as rocks started breaking off the ceiling. Water poured in through broken pipes; the room soon would be flooded.

I ran to the edge of the landing and saw Mercer on the ground with Artemis’s sword sticking out of his chest, but I didn’t see Artemis. I jumped down and ran over to Mercer’s lifeless body before looking around and seeing her by the wall. There was blood staining the rock and her blonde hair. She was unconscious, but she was alive.

"Karliah!" I called without turning around. I slowly lifted her body, careful not to jostle her head too much. "We need to get out of here, lass," I said with a slightly panicked tone in my voice.

The Dunmer knelt over Mercer’s body, ensuring he was dead. “She killed him,” she said with a bit of disbelief. She pulled the bag that was held over Mercer’s shoulder and placed it on her own. “We’re not leaving without these,” she added, motioning to the Eyes. She dug through the numerous pockets on his armor until she found a strange looking key.

The floor was now covered with water, and the level was rising fast. “The door was jammed,” I told her. “We need to find another way out.” I glanced down at Artemis and continued to do so every few seconds to make sure she was still breathing; I didn’t know how badly she was hurt. 

Another tremor rolled through the room, causing more rocks to fall. This time, they landed dangerously close to us. “Come on.” I grabbed Artemis’s sword out of Mercer’s body and ran towards the statue, hoping it would shield us from any more rocks.

As we stood under the Snow Elf’s chin, a few rocks fell where we had been standing previously. One landed on Mercer’s body, crushing it with a loud crunch. I winced as it hit and had to turn away. I was glad the bastard was dead, but I didn’t need to see that. 

The statue rumbled as stone hit against the head and landed on the ground. Karliah leaned out and pointed, “There’s an opening above the head, but there’s no way to climb up to it.”

I peaked out to where she pointed and then looked down at the water. It was still rising and didn’t look like it was stopping anytime soon. “If we wait, the water should get us up there,” I suggested. 

We remained under the statue and watched the water. I pulled Artemis’s mask down from her face and studied it. I won’t have many more chances to see her. She was leaving after all this; she was going to leave the guild, she was going to leave me. I tightened my hold on her and pulled her closer, wanting to memorize everything about her while I had the chance. 

A short while ago, this woman was nothing more than a street rat. Now she was a beautiful, but damaged Nightingale. I’m supposed to be the one to fix her, I thought, to heal her. To help her get past all that’s happened. To love her. I sighed and shook my head. Useless thoughts now.

"Brynjolf," Karliah spoke softly, pulling me from my own torture. "The water…"

I looked down and saw that the water was now level with our feet. “We should be able to get out in a few minutes,” I said hopefully. 

I stepped out from underneath the statue and watched as the water reached my waist. I adjusted my hold on Artemis, making sure to keep her afloat in the water. The water was high enough to pull us away from the statue. It rose above the head and allowed us to pull ourselves through the opening. 

Karliah ran ahead of me and came back shortly after. “This takes us outside,” she said.

I picked up my pace and followed the Dunmer to the exit. I expected to be blinded by sunlight, but night had already fallen. I sighed with relief as I gently placed Artemis down. “We need to rest before we go anywhere.”


	36. Outside Bronze Water Cave,

The splashing of water startled me awake. I opened my eyes, blinking a few times and sat up, finding myself in a small tent. My head was pounding; I reached back and felt my hair was wet with water and blood. I looked around the tent, a bit disoriented on where I was and what had happened. There were a few bloody rags lying in the corner, as well as the sword Karliah had given me and the one I stole from Mercer’s house. 

I moved to my knees and crawled out of the tent. Brynjolf and Karliah were sitting by a fire speaking in hushed tones. They were both wearing strange dark armor; I looked down and noticed that I was wearing the same. Then it all came rushing back to me; Mercer. I gasped at the sudden realization, drawing the attention of the pair.

"Artemis, you’re up!" Brynjolf hurried over to me and helped me to my feet. "How are you feeling?"

I rested my hand on my head as I wobbled a bit on my feet. “A little dizzy. My head is killing me,” I admitted. I looked over at the Dunmer who was rising to her own feet; by them was a large tied sack that was clearly filled with something, or somethings, large. “Are those…?”

Brynjolf followed my line of sight and smiled, “Yes. Both of ‘em. There won’t be anything that could bring the guild down once we get the coin from those. We’ll be richer than we’ve been in ages!” The excitement filled his eyes and his voice. 

"So, is everything going to be back to how it was before all this?" I asked.

Karliah stood beside Brynjolf and shook her head, “We’re not quite done yet. The Skeleton Key still has to be returned; the Ebonmere will remained closed if we don’t.” She reached into her pocket and held it out to me, “I… I can’t be the one to return it. After my failure, I couldn’t bear to face Nocturnal again.”

I took it from her and stared at the strange key; it had an odd feeling to it, like it was alive almost. I looked back up at Karliah with my brow furrowed; to me, her “couldn’t bear to face Nocturnal again” comment sounded like an excuse. “So, I have to do this by myself,” I stated gruffly.

"No," Brynjolf said. "I’m going with you."

"What about the guild?" I asked, "They need you there." I wanted him to come with me, but I knew the more time I spent with him, the harder it’d be to leave.

He shook his head, “Delvin and Vex are taking care of things now, and they can do it for a little longer. The guild’ll be fine without me for a few more days.”

I slightly narrowed my eyes in concern, “Do you not think I can handle this on my own?” I knew it wasn’t true, but I suspected he had some hidden motive for coming with me.

With a roll of his eyes he confirmed, “You know I don’t think that.” He sighed and lowered his head a bit, “Look, I’m just not ready yet to be named Guild Master. I also don’t want you to have to do this on your own,” he added as he looked back up at me. 

"Always the perfect gentleman," I teased with a smile.

He smiled back and a knot formed in my stomach. I thought I was ready to leave; I needed to see my family, and just a few days ago, that was enough to convince me to go. Now that I know the guild will be prosperous again, I wanted to be part of it. I sighed quietly and asked, “All right. When do we leave?”

"Whenever you’re ready. You took a hard hit to the head, so I don’t want you exhausting yourself by traveling to early," he answered with a look of concern.

"I’ll be fine," I countered. I returned to the tent and grabbed the swords, placing them on my belt. I looked around for my bow but didn’t find out. I left the tent and glanced around the camp while I approached Brynjolf and Karliah. "Where’s my bow?"

Brynjolf frowned and Karliah pulled her own bow from her back. “It was crushed by the rocks that fell,” she said apologetically. “I’m sorry, Artemis. Here,” she held her bow out to me. “I want you to have mine.”

I didn’t look at the bow, just at her eyes. I wanted it to be a cruel prank or something. I couldn’t have lost that bow, it was my father’s. That was all I had left of him. “I- It’s destroyed? But I-” Her purple eyes grew pitiful. I took the bow from her and examined the fine etching in the limbs; the inside had the symbol of Nocturnal engraved into it. “Thank you,” I mumbled.

"That bow has served me well for years, and while I know it can’t replace yours, I hope it does the same," she said with a small smile.

I looked at it a few moments longer before hitching to my back. “Thank you, Karliah,” I repeated. I understood that her giving me that bow was very important to her; an archer doesn’t simply part with a bow they’ve had for years without good reason. While I didn’t want to take it, I knew I couldn’t refuse; it was a good bow and right now, it was the only one I had. 

I looked over at Brynjolf and offered him a smile, “I’m ready to go whenever you are,” I feigned enthusiasm.


	37. Camping,

We managed to make it to Whiterun hold before stopping for the night. During the travel, there was light conversation; the silence in between wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward thankfully. I was also grateful for him not mentioning my leaving after this whole mess. I wasn’t sure if it was because he knew I didn’t want to talk about it, or if it hurt him too much to mention it.

He set up our tents while I gathered firewood. As with every other time we camped, he was done well before I was. I dropped the firewood a safe distance away from the tents and began putting the branches in place. Without a sound, a strong pair of hands brushed against mine and helped me with the rest.

I’m going to miss this, I thought to myself.

"Aye. I will too, Artemis," he responded, making me jump. 

I blushed, not realizing I had spoke out loud. I looked over at him and met his eyes, which I instantly regretted. He was giving me that look that made my heart ache and my knees weak. I pulled my gaze away and focused back on the firewood. After they were all set in place, I pulled some flint from my pack and the knife on my belt. “So, what do you think we’ll have to deal with in this Twilight Sepulcher?” I asked, putting a sarcastically ominous tone on the last part.

"I don’t know. Probably some tests to make sure we’re worthy. These temples of worship tend to have those," he answered with a smile, but there was a bit of worry in it.

"Nervous?" I asked while scraping my knife against the flint.

His smile widened and he chuckled, “To be honest… a little. It’s a place made by Daedra worshippers so who knows what could be in there. What about you?”

I glanced at him as a spark finally caught. After blowing on the tiny flames a few times, I replied, “I wasn’t until you said that. You know, I heard that some Daedra demand murdering random people and then eating them while bathing in their blood.” That wasn’t a lie; I really heard this in Markarth while I was on a job.

His nose scrunched a bit, “That’s disgusting. I don’t think we’ll have to deal with cannibals. We may just get pick pocketed… hopefully.”

I chuckled and reached into my bag for some bread. I tossed a piece to Brynjolf and kept another for myself. After taking a bite, I laid down on my back and stared up at the sky. An aurora surrounded Secunda and Masser and was decorated with stark white stars. I sighed softly; the sky never looked this beautiful in Cyrodiil.

Brynjolf laid down next to me, and I could feel his eyes on me. “What’s on your mind, lass?”

I shrugged, “Not much. Pretty blank right now.”

"Liar," he teased softly.

"The sky’s beautiful tonight," I said, lightly hitting his arm. "Don’t you think?"

He let out a puff of air and shook his head. “I don’t think the sky is all that’s on your mind, but I’ll play along. Yes, the sky’s beautiful.”

"Thanks for not pushing. I’m too tired to deal with coming up with ways to distract you from asking again," I said, turning my head and offering him a smile. "I’m getting a bit tired. Do you mind taking first watch?" I asked with the best puppy eyes I could muster.

"How could I say ‘No’ when you give me that look," he replied warmly. "I’ll wake you in a couple hours. Sweet dreams, Artemis."

I smiled and pushed myself up from the ground. “Good night.”


	38. Outside the Twilight Sepulcher,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to post this chapter earlier! It's been done for a little while now...

"Gods…" I stood staring at the doors leading to the sepulcher. It was deep in the side of the mountain and carried a sort of ominous beauty. I took a deep breath and looked over at Brynjolf, "Let’s get this over with."

"Agreed," he said before reaching down to squeeze my hand for a brief moment. 

I walked up to the doors and pushed one of them open; a blast of dead air greeted us, along with the aged smell of must. The doors led to a large room made of stone and a path lined with lit braziers. The path continued on to stairs, and at the bottom of those stairs stood an opaque and glowing figure. “Tha- That’s a ghost. Why is there a ghost here?”

Brynjolf shrugged but narrowed his eyes. “It looks like he’s wearing the same get-up we are.” He stepped in front of me and walked warily up to the ghost.

A strange voice emitted from the ghost and had a surreal echo to it. “I don’t recognize either of you, but I sense that you are one of us.” He tilted his head to the side slightly, “Who are you?”

"You first," Brynjolf responded with a threatening tone.

"I am the last of the Nightingale Sentinels, I’m afraid. I’ve defended the Sepulcher alone for what seems like an eternity," he answered with a soft sigh.

"What do you mean, you’re the last? What happened to the others?" I asked.

His head hang low for a short moment as he replied, “We were betrayed by one of our own kind. In fact, I’m to blame for what’s happened here.”

"How so?" Brynjolf asked, still standing slightly in front of me, and he continued to move whenever I did.

"I was blinded," he said with a scoff. "Blinded by dark treachery masquerading as friendship. Perhaps if I had been more vigilant," he suggested, "then Mercer Frey wouldn’t have lord me to my fate and stolen the Skeleton Key."

"Wait, are you-?"

"Gallus!" Brynjolf interrupted. "I- I can’t believe it!"

The specter raised a brow in confusion, “I haven’t heard that name in a long time. Do I know you?”

Brynjolf stepped forward, pulling his mask down, “You can’t have forgotten me, Gallus.”

Gallus stared for a few moments in shock. “Brynjolf…” he voice sounded nostalgic and relieved. “It’s been years. You’re no longer that scrawny child who could barely lift a sword.” His head turned towards me, “Do I know you as well?”

I shook my head and pulled my own mask off, “No, I’m Artemis.” I almost held my hand out to shake his, but how do you shake hands with a ghost? “Brynjolf recruited me a little while ago.”

"Ah, it’s nice to meet you, and it’s good to see you again, Brynjolf. But why are you here? What has happened?"

"We have the Skeleton Key," Brynjolf told him. He gave Gallus a quick explanation of all that had led us to the sepulcher.

When his story was over, Gallus’s shoulders sagged with relief, “I so glad to hear Karliah is alive. I had feared she’d befallen to the same fate, ending up a victim of Mercer’s betrayal.” He raised his head with a new sense of determination, “It is up to you two now. I cannot help you.”

"Why not?" I asked.

"From the moment I arrived here, I felt myself… well… dying. You see, the Sepulcher isn’t merely a temple or a vault to house the Key," he explained. "Within these walls is the Ebonmere… a conduit to Nocturnal’s real of Evergloam. When Mercer stole the Key, that conduit closed, severely limiting our ties to her."

"We’ll set everything right, Gallus. I promise," Brynjolf assured him. He turned to me with deep resolve, "Come on. The sooner we get this done, the better."

I offered Gallus a brief nod of good-bye and followed Brynjolf up the stairs.

"Good luck, Nightingales," Gallus called from behind us.

Brynjolf looked back with sadness and solace. It made me wonder just how close he had been with Gallus.

As we walked further into the Twilight Sepulcher, we found another large room with more stairs that led deeper into the ruin. Surrounding the left side of the stairs was an open hall that led to a room of some sort. Inside stood a figure similar to Gallus, only it was darker and seemed… wrong. At the foot of the stairs stood another “wrong” ghost.

"I don’t think those ones are friendly," I whispered to Brynjolf.

He shook his head and leaned closer to me. “There’s no way we could sneak by.” He thought for a moment and sighed, “We’re going to have to fight them.”

My eyes widened slightly, “How do you fight a ghost?”

"The same way you fight everything else," he responded, pulling a throwing knife from his belt. He held it by the blade and aimed carefully before releasing it. The knife landing directly in the ghost’s chest and knocked it back a few feet, but it gathered itself and let out a blood-curtling shriek.

"Shit."


	39. In the Twilight Sepulcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make sure you read the previous chapter first! Two chapters in one day!

"Dammit, Brynjolf!" I said through gritted teeth while dodging arrows being shot at me. 

He grunted before responding, “How was I supposed to know?”

I rolled behind the pedestal at the bottom of the stairs before allowing myself to catch my breath. I peaked my head around and saw Brynjolf was still tangling with the ghost that had the knife in its chest. The other one had decided to join the fray as soon as the first one screamed, and for whatever reason, it was only focused on me. Granted, I’d rather Brynjolf not have to take on both of them, but still.

Another arrow hit the pedestal near my head, making me jump, “Gah!” I quickly returned my head to safety and nocked an arrow on my bow. I took a deep breath and quickly stood up, releasing the bowstring. The arrow landed in the ghost’s neck and his body began slowing down and twitching; a layer of frost and lightening covered his body. It was disconcerting to watch, so in hopes of ending it, I filled him was a few more arrows. The layer of frost thickened, as did the lightening, but soon his body stopped altogether and disintegrated into a pile of ash. 

I let out a sigh of relief and quickly turned to see how Brynjolf was doing. He and the ghost were locking blades still, and it appeared to be a stalemate. They were dancing around each other, but neither could place their blade on the other. I pulled another arrow from my quiver and carefully aimed. If I was even a little bit off, I could hit Brynjolf. I waited, following their bodies with the tip of my arrow. When I saw an opening, I let the arrow go.

The arrow stuck in the phantom’s head and made him fall to the ground. After freezing and convulsing for a moment, he too disintegrated. “Wow,” I said, putting the bow back on my shoulder belt. “That was… scary,” I admitted.

I looked over at Brynjolf who was staring at the pile of ash with his mouth slightly agape. His eyes were a little wider than normal, and his breathing was rapid.

"Are you all right?" I asked, getting rather concerned.

After a few moments of silence, he finally answered, “Yes. I just hope there’s no more of them.” 

Unfortunately, there was one more we had to go through. She was a bit easier to take down since it was two against one. The hallway she was in led to a huge chamber that was oddly lit. There was a heavy draft, but there didn’t appear to be any openings leading outside. Numerous raised platforms were scattered throughout, and some of them had braziers, while others were pitch black.

We entered the chamber, both of us with our weapons drawn, ready to attack the first thing that moved. Ahead of us, there seemed to be a path created by the shadow, and next to that path lied a body in the light. His skin looked as if holes had been burned through it. 

Brynjolf took a step in front of me and reached his hand out towards the body.

"Wait, don’t-"

"Ah! Dammit!" He quickly retracted his hand and pulled his glove off; his hand was red and there were a few breaks in the skin. "Gods… what in Oblivion was that?"

I pulled my eyes away from his wound and reached into my satchel for a small healing potion. “Here,” I said, handing it to him. 

He pushed it away and shook his head, “It’s not bad. Save it for yourself.”

"Brynjolf." I pulled the cork out of the top and pushed it into his hand. "Drink it."

He sighed in defeat and down the potion in one swig. We both watched as the skin began to stitch itself back together and return to its natural color. “Thank you, lass.”

"See what happens when you listen to me?" I teased. I returned my attention to the rest of the room and began trying to figure out how we were going to get through it. "Obviously, we can’t go in the lit areas. You figured that out quick. If we take this slow, we should be able to get through it without much of a problem… assuming, of course, there are no more ghosts or anything worse."

Brynjolf nodded, “Aye. Not sure I like our odds, but we don’t have a choice.”

"The odds have never been in our favor," I replied.

I began walking, but he pulled me to a stop. “Let me go first,” he commanded.

"Why?"

"Because, if there’s anything out there, I don’t want it getting to you first."

I rolled my eyes and turned my whole body toward him, standing up straight. “Do I look like a child to you?” I demanded, pulling my mask down so he could look at my face. “Long before I met you, I was taking care of myself by myself. I don’t need you to protect me from every little danger we face. I know you try to, but you don’t have to and you can’t.” 

He stared at me for a few seconds before lowering his head a bit. “I know you can. I just… I thought you were dead once, and I can’t bear the thought of losing you again.”

"How are you going to handle it when I leave?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. This wasn’t the time or place for this conversation.

He shook his head and shrugged, “I don’t know.”


	40. In the Twilight Sepulcher (still) (Brynjolf's POV),

I was completely honest with her, I didn’t know what I’d do without her. She’ll be out of my reach, and I’ll have no way of knowing whether or not she was all right until she sent me a letter, if she even does that. 

She stood there staring at me, seemingly lost for words. “We can figure this out later, lass,” I said with a forced smile, though she couldn’t see it through my mask. “Let’s just worry on getting through this,” I motioned to the dark room. “And I’ll follow you,” I added.

Her pale green eyes remained locked to where mine would’ve been without the mask. “All right,” she finally said. 

She turned her back to me and began slowly walking forward, being sure to keep in the shadows. They led to a set of stairs, but before walking up them, Artemis stopped.

"What’s wrong?"

Kneeling down, she slowly put her hand out in front of her. “There’s a trip wire here,” she said as she looked for where the actual trap was. “Be careful.” 

I mirrored her movements as she stepped over the wire and climbed up the steps. “There’s another one,” I said pointing to the side where more stairs were. We repeated this pattern until we reached the door leading to the next test. 

There were several hallways we had to walk through, but thankfully there were no more phantoms. After a while, the hallways came to a stop at a small room with a large statue of what I could only assume was Nocturnal. There was a foul odor emitting from the dead body that laid at the base of the statue surrounded by a couple jewels and coins.

"So… do you die from giving an offering? Or did he simply die from being here too long?" I asked, kicking the foot of the body. I looked over at Artemis who still had her mask off; I was thankful for that, not that she’d done it for me, but it gave me the chance to see her eyes as they danced around in thought. My own eyes glanced down at the rest of her and damn she looked good in that armor. The perfect balance of deadly and sexy.

Suddenly one of the braziers near the top of the statue went out, pulling my attention back to the situation at hand. “See if there’s a chain behind that brazier,” she ordered, pointing at the sculptured light behind me.

I reluctantly tore my eyes from her and listened to her instruction. There was, in fact, another chain and I pulled down on, making the brazier’s flame go out. “Nice job, Artemis,” I said with pride. To be honest, I don’t know if I would’ve seen that, but I also wouldn’t have been distracted if she wasn’t there… not that I’m complaining. 

A rumbling sounded and the wall behind the statue began to move. A section of it lowered into the ground revealing yet another hallway. This one went deeper underground, and it was a bit harder to keep our footing; the stone floor was a bit slippery. The hall flattened out just before another opening in the wall; as we approached, blades began swinging back and forth within the opening.

"How in Oblivion are we supposed to get through that?" Artemis asked in disbelief and slight annoyance.

I looked around and noticed a small torch illuminating the area. “Nocturnal likes her darkness,” I said quietly before blowing on the torch to put it out. After passing by one more time, blades slowly retreated into the wall and stayed put. “There.”

She hesitated before walking forward, and I closely followed behind. There was another door, and before Artemis pushed it open, I caught her arm and pulled her back. I knelt down and pulled a lockpick out of my satchel; I tinkered around with it a bit until I heard a faint “click.” I stood up and pushed the door open; whatever trap had been set didn’t go off. 

"Gods, what is it with these people and hallways?" I asked rhetorically. The hallway was no different than the thousand others we walked through; like those, it ended at another door. This door was a little bit more embellished and heavier, and when it was pushed open, damp air escaped. We stepped through the doorway, and it felt a little harder to breathe; the air was heavy and smelled like mildew. 

The corridor we stepped into was wide enough for the two of us to walk side by side, and we reached a large wooden door at the end of it. We continued through it and stopped when the floor disappeared.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Artemis asked, staring at the deep drop in front of us.

"Jump?"

She softly punched me and looked up at me, “I’m serious.”

"So am I."

Her eyes widened a bit in fear, “You’re expecting us to jump… into that? I can’t even see the bottom.”

I looked around to hopes of finding any other way, but there was nothing. I pulled my glove off my hand and held it out to her; she did the same and took it. If there was something that was going to kill us in that hole, I wanted to die knowing what her skin felt like one last time. “Ready?”

She shook her head, “No…”

I began counting anyway, “One.”

"Two," she continued.

I took a deep breath, “Three.”


	41. In the Inner Sanctum,

I opened my eyes as we landed after what felt like hours but was really only a second or two. I released Brynjolf’s hand and looked around; we were in a cylindrical space surrounded by nothing but stone bricks. I rushed to the wall and began running my hand on it, hoping to find a way out.

"Brynjolf, help me!" I cried. When I got no response, I turned and found him kneeling in front of a skeleton I hadn’t noticed. I approached him from behind and saw he was reading a note. "What does it say?"

He put the note back down by the skeleton and stood up, but didn’t face me. “He… he jumped… and couldn’t get out.”

"No, there’s got to be a way out." I refused to give up. I continued searching the wall again, but still didn’t find anything. "It can’t end here."

As I spoke, the floor began to disappear, and before either of us could react, we fell through and landed on a strange circular platform. I looked down and noticed a small hole in the very center of the circle. Pulling out the Skeleton Key, I pushed it into the hole and twisted.

An ominous hiss resonated from the floor and the stone was replaced by a small pool filled with strangle purple liquid surrounded by three claw-like sculptures. Purple portals began opening throughout the room against the walls.

Fog and birds emitted from the liquid, and a woman draped in dark robes with two black birds sitting on her forearms appeared. “My, my. What do we have here?” Her dark eyes flickered from me to Brynjolf. “It’s been a number of years since I set foot in your world. Or perhaps it’s been moments. One tends to lose track,” the woman spoke in a deep voice.

"So, once again, the Key has been stolen and a ‘champion’, or rather, ‘champions’ return it to the Sepulcher," her tone became sarcastic. "Now that Ebonmere has been restored, you stand before me, awaiting your accolades; a pat on your head…" Her head turned to Brynjolf, "A kiss on your cheek."

"What you fail to realize," she continued, "Is your actions were expected and represent nothing more than the fulfillment of your agreement." Her words and tone made my jaw clench in anger; she knew nothing of our motives. Neither one of us wanted any reward, we simply wanted things to go back to normal.

"Don’t mistake my tone for displeasure," she said, interrupting my thoughts, "after all, you’ve both obediently performed your duties to the letter. But we all know this has nothing to do with honor and oaths and loyalty." She shook her head, "No, it’s about the reward; the prize."

I looked over at Brynjolf with a brow raised; even if she was wrong about our reasons, a reward was still an interest for both of us. Karliah was standing by one of the purple portals, watching the exchange.

"Fear not. You’ll have your trinkets, your desire for power, your hunger for wealth," her voice echoed through the chamber. "I big you to drink deeply from the Ebonmere, mortals. For this," she raised her hands slightly," is where the Agent of Nocturnal is born. The Oath has been struck, the die has been cast, and your fates await you in the Evergloam." The fog and birds returned as the platform opened up and Nocturnal disappeared into it. "Farewell, Nightingales. See to it the Key stays this time, won’t you?"


	42. In Dead Man's Drink (slightly NSFW),

"Thank you," I said without looking at the girl bringing our food. I stared at the bowl being put in front of me; not really wanting to eat it, as I wasn't really hungry. 

Brynjolf was next to me, and I could feel his eyes boring into me, yet he didn't say anything. 

I turned to him and met his eyes, "What?" It came out a bit more harsh than I mean.

He seemed momentarily struck by my tone, but he quickly shrugged it off. "What's wrong, Artemis? You usually scarf down your food," he teased with a light nudge, though his eyes were serious.

I sighed and pushed the food around in my bowl, "I just... I don't know. I feel like I should feel happier, or at least relieved." We'd just returned from the Sepulcher; Karliah had a nice "'Til we meet again" and Brynjolf and I were officially made Agents of Nocturnal, but things still felt wrong. The guild would be back to normal; they'd have their luck back and soon they'd have their riches back... and I'd be back in Cyrodiil. I'd be back ho- no, I can't call it "home" yet; it didn't feel right.

"Artemis?" Karliah's soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "You seem distracted, is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes, I guess I'm just mentally getting ready to leave." She lightened up her tone and forced a smile, "I admit, I'll going to miss breaking into houses, stealing family heirlooms, and all that fun stuff. I'm going to miss the other members too, even Vex." 

A large calloused hand covered mine and squeezed it lightly, "You're going to be missed." He leaned in a bit and his eyes became hooded, "So much." 

Gods, I hated it and loved it when he did that. I slowly pulled my hand from his and stood up from the table. "I'm going to head off to bed. I'll see you both in the morning." I wasn't tired, but I could only stand listening to him talk like that for so long before I'd contemplate staying. As I walked to the room I had bought when we first came in, I could feel both of them watching me, but I ignored it.

I closed the door behind me and sat on the bed with a heavy sigh; suddenly I felt exhausted, but not yet ready to sleep. I pulled off my boots and began unstrapping my armor, but there was one buckle I couldn't reach. "Dammit," I whispered through gritted teeth as I stretched to reach it.

"Need some help?"

I jumped but quickly recognized the voice. I let out a defeated sighed and nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Turning my back to him, I stood still as his nimble fingers undid the buckle I couldn't reach, as well as a few I hadn't gotten to yet. "There you go, lass." 

I turned back to him and gave him a small smile, "I only needed help with the one."

He shrugged without a word and sat down on the bed before patting it, "Come talk to me, please?"

I sat down next to him and pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Whatever is troubling you."

"Nothing's bothering me," I lied, which was pointless because he always seemed to be able to tell.

He sighed and shook his head, "Artemis, if you don't want to talk then say so, but please don't lite to me. You never were able to before, and you still can't." he teased.

"I'm just thinking about how it's going to feel leaving. I'm going to miss everything and everyone." I looked up and was met by deep green eyes, "I'm going to miss you." I leaned against him as his arms wrapped around me. "You're what's making me second-guess this decision," I admitted against his chest. 

He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me closer, "I'm sorry."

I let out a chuckle and shook my head, "You're sorry? For what? Being the reason I don't want to leave? I don't want you to be sorry." I smiled and took one of his hands in mine, "I'd take you with me if I could." This was my problem; I couldn't let him go. Being here and telling him this wasn't helping either, but I didn't want to push him away.

"And I'd go with you if I could," he replied with a sad smile.

My next action was one I may have regretted later, but at the moment, I didn't care. I turned my head to look at him and met his eyes before leaning closer to meet his lips. It had been too long since I had tasted him last, and I missed it, more than I had realized. 

My arms wrapped around his neck as I shifted my legs to rest on either side of him, all without pulling away from him. One of his hands gripped my lower back while the other cupped my face tenderly. He pulled away and stared at me for a few moments before speaking, "Artemis... are you sure you want to..."

I interrupted him with another kiss, deeper this time. I gently tugged on his lower lip before releasing it and separating. This was crazy and just stupid in all reality, but Gods I wanted him. "Yes, I'm sure."

A deep guttural noise sounded from the back of his throat as he lowered onto the bed and held himself over me. "Last chance to stop now," he warned with a smirk.

I met his smirk with one of my own and pulled myself up to crash our lips together once more for his answer.


	43. In the Rented Room (NSFW),

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an incredibly smut-filled chapter. If you are uncomfortable with that, then DO NOT READ IT! The only part of the chapter that is absolutely crucial to the story is the last few paragraphs which will be posted in the next chapter. Also, this is my first time writing smut, so if it's not 100% realistic or just all together bad... don't hate me. It took major courage to decide and write a chapter like this.

He pulled away and stared at me for a few moments before smiling.

"What?" I asked him, a bit disappointed he stopped kissing me. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

His smile widened as he answered, “All of you is so beautiful, Artemis.” He reached up and lightly ran his finger down the scar across my eye, “Even the parts that you don’t like.”

I rolled my eyes, but a smile crossed my face. I didn’t know how to respond, so I simply brushed against his lips once more. “I think you’d be more comfortable without your armor,” I noted with a smirk.

A warm chuckle escaped him as he nodded, “I think you’re right.” He pushed himself up and climbed off the bed before setting to work on the numerous buckles.

I followed after him and began helping him with the ones on his back. “As much as I like the armor, it is a pain in the ass to get off.”

"Aye, but it has a sort of… sensual appeal to it. Don’t you think, lass?"

My eyes traveled down the length of his body, and I hummed appreciatively. “I still prefer it off,” I said as I undid the last buckle.

He pulled the armor off and dropped it on top of mine on the floor. “Better?” he asked, standing in his tunic and bottoms.

I walked in front of him and rested my hand on my chin, “Hmm. Not quite.” Feeling brave, I stepped closer to him and grabbed the bottom of his tunic, slowly pulling it up while letting my fingers gently glide against his torso. Goosebumps began forming on his skin, and I giggled quietly as I pulled it up over his head. I took a step back to admire my handiwork, “A little better.” He was incredibly well-built for being a thief; I knew he was muscular before, but I never realized just how defined. 

He held his arms up off to the side with a feigned hurt look. “Only ‘a little better’?” 

I stared at the way his muscles moved with him and found myself mentally drooling a bit.

"Lass?"

Tearing my eyes away, I looked up at his face and blushed a bit.

He laughed heartily and reached out, pulling me into an embrace. His hands cupped each side of my face, then they began a slow, painstakingly slow, descent down. They lightly traced my jawline, my collarbone, the sides of my breasts, the curve of my waist, and stopped at my hips as a shiver of pleasure ran through my body. Though I had my tunic on, I could still feel the heat he radiated… maybe it was my imagination. He watched me with great interest and smiled at my reaction.

Lowering his hands further, he wrapped one arm under my rear and lifted me up, using his free hand pull the tie from my hair, letting it fall down my back. He then lowered it to hold me against him as I wrapped my arms around his neck and splayed my fingers in his hair. I could feel his breath on my neck before his lips took its place; his scruff lightly grazed against my skin, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation.

He began walking toward the end of the bed and slowly lowered me onto it; he climbed up and straddled me at my hips. Calloused hands rested just below the hem of my top and tucked themselves underneath before sliding up my torso. My heart began to race and a subtle tugging sensation began in the bottom of my stomach. His fingers paused underneath my breasts and gripped the tunic before removing it completely. 

I remained still, in nothing but my breast band and bottoms. “Better?” I asked.

He smirked as his hands returned to their previous spot, “Not quite.” He toyed with the base of my breast band, teasing the skin just underneath it. Finally, he slid his hands completely underneath it and pulled it over my head and tossed it onto the floor.

"How about now?" I purred.

His eyes gazed over me with a mix of adoration and lust before answering, “Better.”

He leaned down and brought his lips to mine; this kiss being deeper than any we had shared before. It was one of desire and need. While he held himself up with one hand, the other found my breast and his thumb began gently massaging its center. A soft moan escaped me, and I could feel him smile. After a few moments, he switched hands and received the same reaction, only I was a bit louder that time.

He pulled his lips away from mine and started placing gentle kisses down my neck, between my breasts, and the rest of my torso while pulling himself closer to the edge of the bed. He stopped and sat up, resting his hands on my hips; I propped myself up on my elbows to look at him.

His eyes found mine and then looked down at where his hands were. “These are going to have to go,” he said looking back up at me, eyes appearing to be asking for permission despite his words.

I beamed at him, grateful that even in a situation like this, he still cares about how I’m feeling. “Then lose them,” I replied.

I watched him as he slowly loosened and unlaced the string on the top of my pants, fingers grazing the skin every now and then. He glanced up occasionally with a dangerous glint in his eyes. He was purposely taking his time and teasing me; I was tempted to chide him or even kick him, but he stood up before I got the chance. Confusion crossed my features, but he merely smirked at me in response.

Unlike my tunic and breast band, he grabbed the top of my bottoms and quickly pulled them down my legs before dropping them beside the bed. He leaned forward, kissing the band of my underwear while placing a hand on my torso and gently pushing me against the bed.

When I was completely flat to the bed, he pulled his hand away and hooked both of his index fingers into each side of the band. Unhurriedly, he lowered the undergarment to my feet and placed them on top of my pants. 

His hands returned to my hips, and he gave me a brief kiss before suddenly yanking me closer to the bottom of the bed. My feet were resting on the floor while the upper part of my rear remained on the bed. An involuntary laugh sounded in my throat; whether it was from the shock of the movement or the excitement of what I was expecting next, I wasn’t sure.

He hovered over me and looked at me with his brows furrowed, but I offered him no explanation. Instead, I reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear then placed my hand on his scarred cheek. He leaned into it for a short time before lowering to kiss me once more. I smiled as our lips met and gently ran my nails up his back, causing more goosebumps to form.

Too soon, he pulled away. His hands ran down the length of my body, slowing when the reached my breasts, but returning to their original pace after. He rested down on his knees by my feet; his hands gripped my knees and pulled them slightly apart. They slid up my legs, spreading them even further until he was satisfied. His fingers ran up my inner thighs and caressed my rear as he pulled himself closer to me.

I let out a gasp as I felt his breath against me. As tempting as it was to look, I remained against the bed, not wanting to know what he was doing or when he was going to do it; I wanted to be surprised. 

His lips began trailing kisses from my knee to my inner thigh; he did the same with the other leg. Both times, my breath hitched as he inched closer to my center, but he always stopped just before. I groaned with impatience and softly kicked his side; to that he responded with a chuckle and a light tickling behind one of my knees.

He took the hint though, and placed his lips on my lower abdomen while his fingers trailed along my two outer folds. My face grew warm with excitement and I took a deep breath to try and calm myself so I wouldn’t be overeager. He followed the pattern a few more times before gently kneading his thumb up and down them. This continued with the inner folds; all the while, his lips lowered further until they were just above my center.

He let out a breath and it made me tremble with anticipation. His mouth finally reached my most sensitive area, forcing a gasp followed by a hoarse moan. His tongue circled around and around; my fingers gripped the sheets until my knuckles were white. I could feel myself building up, my back arched in response. It became even more intense when he began humming, the soft vibrations running through my body. My breathing was becoming sporadic and sweat was forming on my hairline.

His tongue slid down and entered my opening, trailing in and out; his thumb had began mimicking what his tongue had done before. A melody of purring sounded in my throat, and as long as he continued, that song wasn’t going to stop. My sounds seemed to encourage him; he picked up the pace, and once again, I was being pushed closer and closer to the edge. 

My breaths came out in gasps and soft whimpers; I was close, so close. “Brynjolf,” it came out like a plea. He continued on, and somehow, I managed to grip on even tighter to the sheets. I sucked in a breath, and another, and another, before I let out a deep moan that seemed to travel from my toes, up through my torso, and finally reaching my throat. A wave of pleasure traveled with that sound, only it didn’t escape out of my mouth. It brought heat to my neck and my cheeks, and seemed to dance in my limbs.

I refused to move for fear of ending the pleasure and serenity that wrapped around me. Thankfully, I didn’t need to. Brynjolf sat on the other end of the bed and began running his fingers from my forehead down through my hair that splayed out on the bed. 

"You are," I said in between breaths, "Way too. Good at. That."

He laughed and continued stroking my hair. “It was my pleasure, lass.”

After a few moments, my breathing began returning to normal, and I sat up before crawling next to him. He draped an arm over me; his fingers softly grazed back and forth on my arm. 

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, nuzzling my ear. 

I laughed softly and leaned closer to him, turning my body slightly so I could see him easily. My lips reached his neck, just below his ear, and remained there for a few seconds. I journeyed a little higher and lightly nipped at his ear lobe. Before he could react, I threw one of my legs over his body and rested myself on his hips.

I stared into the pools of deep green and felt my stomach flutter as I was once again reminded of how important he was to me, and I to him. He smiled warmly, but his eyes darkened with a deep primal need. I fed into it; kissing him, gently biting his bottom lip, allowing our tongues to become well-acquainted. A rough hand found my lower back while another tangled itself in my hair.

We remained like that, just exploring each other, for a while before I pulled away. A smile remained on my face, in part because I was still a bit high with ecstasy, and also because I didn’t want him to think I was changing my mind. I quickly caught my breath and looked down. my smile widening. “Those have to go.”

I, unlike him, didn’t wait for permission. I quickly unlaced his trousers and began tugging; given the way we were sitting, I was having a bit of difficulty. He raised his hips slightly, making it easier for me to shed of his remaining clothing. 

I eyed his completely bare body and found my own carnal instincts rushing to the surface. I moved further down the bed and he followed, stopping when his head was flat against the bed. I crawled back on top of him, letting myself brush against his member before finding his lips again.

My hand slid down his body and began teasing his length with light strokes of my fingers. I did this numerous times until a deep, husky growl resonated in his throat. My fingers gripped his length and slowly ran my hand across it, and doing the same back.

When his breathing began to quicken, I stopped. My hand remained wrapped around it, and after lifting myself up, I lowered my body and guided his erection into me. Another growl left him and soft moan accompanied it from me.

I started riding him, slowly, wanting to experience him for as long as I could. Eventually, I couldn’t wait anymore. My pace quickened and though it felt incredible, I wasn’t nearing the edge. I brushed the though aside and told myself, I already had mine. Now I’m giving him his. I looked down at him and loved the way his eyes closed and lips parted in pleasure. 

"St…Stop. Stop."

His voice startled me, and while I stopped my rhythm, I didn’t get off of him. Without a word, he lifted me up and switched positions with me and pushed a pillow beneath my lower back. I didn’t question it; I merely observed. Lifting one of my legs, he rested it on his shoulder, followed by the other leg on the corresponding shoulder. He lowered some of his body weight onto me to meet my lips, and while we kissed, he entered me again, forcing me to gasp and pull the air from his chest.

He didn’t begin slow like I had; he seemed to need to finish quickly, and I was completely fine with that. This time, he was pushing me closer; some part of him was rubbing against my center in a rhythm that matched his thrusting. 

I raked my hand through my hair; my teeth caught my lip, knowing that if my mouth was open, the entire inn would hear me. A faint hum still emitted from me that coincided with his movements. The edge was nearing, but it was going to be a further drop than last time. A flush began creeping up on my neck, and I could feel my face heat up; my surroundings seemed to meld together to the point where there was nothing to see but Brynjolf and I. Soon, even we vanished, and all I could focus on was the cliff.

I didn’t just fall off the edge this time, I dove head first and landed in a sea pure bliss. My body shivered with my orgasm; all the way from my head, to the tips of my fingers and toes. All I could hear was the muffled sound of my racing heart and the faint whispers of my breaths. I don’t even know if I made any sound once I jumped.

He soon pulled out and left the evidence of his own pleasure on my inner thigh and the bed. His body landed beside me, laying eye level with me. I turned my head and reached down to find his hand, intertwining our fingers together. He pulled them up and placed a gentle kiss on mine before lowering them again.

We remained still for a time, both trying to normalize our breathing as best we could. When I felt like I could talk without having to pause in between each word, I turned to my side to face him and pushed back his deep red locks from his face. A million things ran through my mind as our eyes locked; a million things I wanted to say, but couldn’t form into words.

He seemed to be dealing with the same thing, only he was articulate enough to put his thoughts into intelligible sentences. “Artemis. My sweet, beautiful, deadly Artemis. You are amazing.” He smiled thoughtfully as his fingers brushed against my cheek, “There aren’t enough words in every language combined to truly explain how I feel about you.”

He was incredibly good at leaving me speechless, even in moments when that was the last thing I wanted to be, such as this. All I could do was smile and blink hard enough to keep myself from crying.

He sighed and gave me a sympathetic smile, “I’m sure this is the last thing you want to hear before you leave, but… I can’t let you go without knowing that you know this. I love you.”


	44. In the Rented Room (SFW),

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the SFW version of the previous chapter. It contains the important parts of the chapter. If you have read the NSFW version of this, then you can skip over this; it's just a copy-and-paste of the last few chapters of the NSFW version.

His body landed beside me, laying eye level with me. I turned my head and reached down to find his hand, intertwining our fingers together. He pulled them up and placed a gentle kiss on mine before lowering them again.

We remained still for a time, both trying to normalize our breathing as best we could. When I felt like I could talk without having to pause in between each word, I turned to my side to face him and pushed back his deep red locks from his face. A million things ran through my mind as our eyes locked; a million things I wanted to say, but couldn’t form into words.

He seemed to be dealing with the same thing, only he was articulate enough to put his thoughts into intelligible sentences. “Artemis. My sweet, beautiful, deadly Artemis. You are amazing.” He smiled thoughtfully as his fingers brushed against my cheek, “There aren’t enough words in every language combined to truly explain how I feel about you.”

He was incredibly good at leaving me speechless, even in moments when that was the last thing I wanted to be, such as this. All I could do was smile and blink hard enough to keep myself from crying.

He sighed and gave me a sympathetic smile, “I’m sure this is the last thing you want to hear before you leave, but… I can’t let you go without knowing that you know this. I love you.”


	45. In the Cistern,

_I love you. I love you. I love you._ The words echoed in my mind during the trip back to Riften, and as I began packing my belongings, they haunted me once more. Perhaps haunted wasn’t quite the right word; the words resonated with me in such a way that evoked too many conflicting emotions to comprehend.

_"You… you love me?"_

_"More than I could possibly express."_

_"Why would you do this to me?"_

_"Artemis… "_

_"You’re an evil man, Brynjolf. This is all part of your game to get me to stay. I’m on to you."_

_"Damn, you saw right through me. I guess I just can’t outwit you."_

Humor was the only way I knew how to respond when I couldn’t think straight.

My hands worked thoughtlessly folding my spare clothes and stuffing them into my pack while my mind replayed that moment. The one thing that could have changed my mind were those three words, but apparently I was stubborn enough to ignore my own doubts because I was still bent on leaving.

"Well, Artemis, ‘m sad to say I didn’t get a chance to bed you before you left, but ‘m gonna miss you."

Without turning, I replied, “You never had a chance, Vipir. If you keep harassing Sapphire, I’m sure she’ll eventually give in… or shove a knife in your gullet. Maybe both.” I turned my head towards him and smiled, “I’ll miss you too.” After a light parting pat on the back, Vipir turned and left me to finish packing.

As the last of my things were placed in my pack and my bedroll firmly secured on top, I buckled my belts around my hips and shoulders and tied my cloak around my neck. A light sigh escaped my lips as I glanced down at my bed and nightstand, empty. The trunk at the end of my bed was nearly empty, save for a few items that I couldn’t fit in my pack or simply didn’t feel the need to bring with me. My fingers brushed across the blanket; my gloved hand couldn’t feel the texture, but I knew how it would’ve felt. How many times had I slept in this bed?

An arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me into a side hug. “Lass… “

I leaned into him and rested my own arm on his waist. “Guildmaster,” I responded, matching his tone.

He let out a groan and shook his head, “Gods, don’t call me that. I didn’t want to be guildmaster, and I still don’t, but the guild chose and… well, you know the rest.” He placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head and held it there for a few moments before speaking. “Do you have everything?” I only answered with a nod. “Can I add one more thing to your load?”

I looked up at him with a muddled look. “Depends… what exactly are you giving me?”

Wordlessly, he pulled away from me slightly and reached into his pocket revealing a small parcel. A small smile painted his face as he held the package in front of me, “Here.”

Hesitantly, I took it from him and began unwrapping it. With the last of the paper removed, a beautiful silver amulet rested in my hand. The silver pendant was shaped like the Thieves Guild symbol; the outer triangle was encrusted small emeralds set on each corner while the center was filled with a flawless larger one. My jaw dropped partially before I finally managed words, “It’s… it’s amazing. How’d you get this? You’re not some secret silversmith, are you?”

A light chuckled passed his lips as his hands wrapped themselves around mine, “Madesi’s a damn good jeweler. He wasn’t too thrilled to make a deal with me until I flashed enough coin in front of him.” His fingers took hold of the necklace and stepped behind me, letting the pendant rest on my breastbone while he clasped the back. “Do you like it?”

I turned to face him and smiled, “I love it. It’s beautiful.” My hand gently grasped the amulet and raised it so I could look at it better. “Thank you, but what did I do to deserve this?”

He gave a chaste kiss to my forehead and answered, “Nothing in particular. Just being you, I suppose.” His eyes traveled past me and peered at the open trunk. “Will you let me travel to the border with you? I’m not ready to… to say good-bye,” he admitted sheepishly.

I looked away from him as a light flush filled my cheeks. My voice paused after each word as I replied, “I don’t think you should.”

A brief look of hurt passed over his face, but he quickly replaced it with one of confusion. “Why not?” his voice wavered a bit.

"I’m torn, Brynjolf," I admitted. "I want to spend as much time as I have left with you, but for my own sake, I have to go alone. It’d be too easy to drag you across the border with me," I explained, lightening my tone at the end.

He sighed in defeat and offered me a forced smile, “I understand, lass. You can’t stop me from seeing you off at the city gates. You’re stuck with me until then.”

"Damn," I teased, "I’ll just have to suffer for now."

Vex approached us from the center of the Cistern with a slightly less pissed-off look than normal. “Well,” she began as she stood in front of Brynjolf and I, “I figured I’d tell you ‘good luck.’ Can’t say I’ll really miss you though; I’ll enjoy being the best infiltrator again.” Her tone was lighter, and I could’ve sworn I saw the slightest hint of a smile. Her eyes lowered onto the amulet then over to Brynjolf, “That certainly looks better without algae covering it.”

"Thanks, Vex. I certainly owe you one," he responded.

I looked over at him confused, “Why was it covered in algae?”

He blushed as his arms crossed over his chest, “It’s, uh, not important. Just a bit of unfortunate misunderstanding.”

“‘Unfortunate misunderstanding?’” Her attention returned to me, “Let’s just say, you have quite a hold of him, Artemis. It’ll be interesting seeing how he reacts without you.”

"Ah, still a bitch," I told her, "Nice to know some things will never change."

A genuine smile crossed her face, and it nearly gave me a heart attack. “Good luck, Artemis.” With that, she turned and left for the Ragged Flagon.

I stared after her in shock, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything but insults and condescension from her before that.”

"She respects you, whether or not she reveals that outwardly," he said with a smile. "You should be proud of that… even if you aren’t particularly fond of her."

"I’ll keep that in mind if I see her again." I looked down at my bed one last time before deciding, "I think it’s time I head off. If I don’t leave now, then I never will."

"I’d be alright with that."

I chuckled and hiked my pack over my shoulders, “Come on.”


	46. In Riften,

We reached the city gates far too soon, and I reluctantly pulled my hand away from his. The horses whinnied softly as we stood near the stables; I needed a horse if I was going to get back to Bruma in a decent amount of time, and it seemed the horses knew at least one of them was going on a trip. The stablemaster approached us warily, having recognized Brynjolf and putting up his guard; Brynjolf’s reputation put everyone in Riften outside of the Thieves Guild on their toes. 

"You need something?" the man asked in a gruff and burly voice, his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes swept over us. 

I forced a smile and nodded, “I do, actually, I need one of your horses. How much?”

"I’ve got one saddled up already for 1000 septims."

The price was a bit steep, but not completely unreasonable. Before Brynjolf could even begin bartering, I pulled a coinpurse out of my satchel and held it out to the stablemaster. “Deal. There’s exactly 1000 in there; if you don’t trust me, you can take the time to count each of them out, but I’ll have walked to the next hold by then.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly before taking the coin from my hand, weighing it in his own before answering with a quiet grunt. He turned toward the saddled horse and led it out of the stable, handing me the reins. “Here ya go. Now, if that’s all…” He turned away from the two of and disappeared into his house. 

I looked over at Brynjolf while I idly ran my fingers down the horse’s muzzle. “What do you think?” I asked, “Think we look good together?” I held my face next to the horse’s and smiled.

He gave me a sad smile in response, “Aye, you look beautiful together.” He stepped closer and rested a hand on my cheek, running his thumb along my cheekbone, “Let’s get your things strapped down, lass.”

"Eager to see me leave?" I teased, knowing it was the opposite… for both of us. Placing my hand over his, I gently pulled his away and began sliding the straps to my pack from my shoulders. 

He took the bag from my hands and tied it to the back of the saddle, “That’s the last thing I want.” 

After placing the strap of my satchel around the saddle’s cantle, I face Brynjolf and wrapped my arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. “I’m going to miss you… so much,” I mumbled into the crook of his neck.

His arms found my waist and held me close, ” I hope to see you again. Will you write to me?”

"Of course." I pulled away from him and hoisted myself onto the horse. "Well, this is it." 

"This is it," he repeated solemnly. His hand reached for mine and squeezed it gently before letting go as his eyes grew glassy. "Good bye, Artemis." 

"Good bye. You’ll hear from me soon, Brynjolf. I promise," I replied, offering him a small smile. Gripping the reins tightly, I gently kicked at the horse’s sides, urging her forward. My eyes were focused on the path ahead, but I could feel Brynjolf’s staring; I was tempted to look back, to glance at him one last time, but no. I couldn’t. "Let’s go, girl," I whispered to the horse. "Maybe I’ll come up with a name for you on the way to Bruma."


End file.
